Amortentia's Aftermath
by MrsJaydeMalfoy
Summary: Sequel to 'Becoming Mrs. Malfoy', this is the third book in the 'Amortentia' series.  This picks up the story of Draco and Jayde shortly after where the previous book left off and we finally arrive at the WEDDING!  Please review!
1. Chapter 1 The Holiday

**Author's Note: Hello, and welcome to the third book in the 'Amortentia' series. If you haven't read the previous two, I suggest that you do so... some parts of this may not make sense if you haven't. I really, really hope you enjoy it. Please review! ******

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><p>"Wake up, darling," my fiancé's voice says sweetly, pulling me closer to consciousness from my deep sleep.<p>

"Uh uh," I reply in response, keeping my eyes closed and enjoying the blissful oblivion of sleep. My fiancé chuckles slightly in response and gives me a light kiss on the cheek.

"It's Christmas," he says a moment later. "Let's go downstairs and open our presents."

"The presents aren't going anywhere," I whisper sleepily.

"But I want to see you open your gifts _now,_" he replies. With that, he stands up and walks around to my side of the bed. He leans down and scoops me into his strong arms, lifting me into the air. Now suddenly and abruptly being wide awake, I open my eyes and wrap my arms around his neck, afraid I'll fall otherwise.

"Okay Draco, I'm awake!" I say playfully. Draco ignores my statement and starts walking towards our bedroom door. "You can put me down now," I say in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Nope," he replies, "I'm carrying you all the way downstairs to make sure you don't crawl back in bed."

"No," I reply with a laugh. After a moment of waiting to be put down, I realize Draco's serious and speak again. "Can I at least use the bathroom?" I ask skeptically. At this, he gives me a very questioning look, but after a moment he seems to have decided that I'm not trying to trick him.

He carefully places me on my feet and says, "Okay then, I'll go get the baby." With that, he takes off for our son's nursery next door while I walk towards the bathroom.

After using the bathroom I stare into the mirror for a moment and attempt to straighten the sleep-induced mess that is my black hair before stepping back into the bedroom. Upon re-entering I'm greeted by Draco, who is now holding our nearly two-month-old son in his arms.

"Look who was already awake and waiting for me," he says cheerfully. I smile at this and walk over to Draco, peeking down at our blond-haired and blue-eyed son. Skylar is lying in his father's arms with a sleepy and curious look on his face.

"Hi bean!" I say happily as I lean down and tickle his tiny stomach, calling the infant by the nickname his father gave him. Little Skylar smiles in response, making my heart melt.

"Do you think he knows its Christmas?" Draco asks. I cast him a playfully stern look in response.

"With the way his father has been going on and on about it for the past three weeks, I'm sure he knows _something_ special is happening," I reply. Draco laughs heartily in response to this.

"Come on, let's go wake my parents," he says a moment later. Smiling and shaking my head slightly, I follow Draco out of our bedroom and down to the second floor of Malfoy Manor, where his mother and father's room is located. When we reach their room Draco loudly knocks on the door and calls out to the sleeping couple. "Mum, Dad," he says, "Wake up! It's Christmas!"

"Draco, you are _eighteen _years old and it's _six-thirty _in the morning," his father's muffled voice replies from behind the door a moment later. "Since you're a _grown man _now, don't you think you could contain your excitement and let your mother and I get a _little _more rest?"

"I _have _to be this excited," Draco replies in a matter-of-fact tone. "Skylar can't express how excited he is, so I have to do it for him." I cast my fiancé a knowing look at this and chuckle at the excuse he's given to explain his excitement. Just then there's a loud gasp from behind the bedroom door, followed by a delighted cry from Draco's mother.

"He's right, Lucius!" she exclaims. "It's Jayde's first Christmas with us and Skylar's first Christmas _ever_! We've got to make it _extra-_special! Come on, get up!" There's a loud and dissatisfied grunt from Lucius in response to this, which is followed by shuffling noises and the sound of moving feet. Narcissa opens her and Lucius' bedroom door a moment later, wearing her dressing gown. She greets Draco, Skylar and me with a warm smile, and she is followed by a baggy-eyed and robe-clad Lucius a moment later. We all exchange greetings of "Happy Christmas" and walk downstairs to the Entrance Hall in an expectant and excitement-filled silence; though some of the magic of Christmas is gone for me now as I'm an adult, I can't help but feel like a giddy little girl again as we walk downstairs. I'm unsure whether this excitement is due to the fact Narcissa mentioned earlier that it's my first Christmas with Draco and his family, or the fact that it's my son's first Christmas, but either way the energy in the air tells me that the Malfoys are all feeling this same elation.

When we reach the Entrance Hall we turn right and enter the Drawing Room, which, like the rest of Malfoy Manor, is decorated festively with lights, trees, and other various Christmas paraphernalia which Narcissa had the maids put up in the first week of December. There's an enormous tree that stretches from the floor to the ceiling at the back of the room sitting just to the right of the fireplace, and piles upon piles of presents rest just beneath the branches, which are decorated mostly in silver. Once inside the Drawing Room doorway, Narcissa rushes past Lucius, Draco and I practically bouncing with delight.

"You three take a seat," she says, "And I'll pass out the presents!" Eyeing her with raised eyebrows and smiling from ear to ear, the three of us don't argue with her and take a seat on the black sofa situated near the fireplace as she starts sifting through the mountain of presents beneath the tree. "Draco, you and Jayde can open Skylar's presents first, and then we'll all open ours," she suggests. Draco and I nod our heads in agreement with her statement as she pulls her wand from a pocket in her dressing gown and causes Skylar's presents to start floating towards us.

Apparently, Draco and I aren't the only ones who've spoiled our son on his first Christmas; I gasp as I notice that nearly half the presents under the tree were Skylar's and are now resting on the floor at mine and Draco's feet. As Draco's got his arms full with Skylar at the moment, I lean down and pick up the first present lying on top of the pile. While I do so, Narcissa flicks her wand again, conjuring up a tiny seat that Draco can place the infant in; she explains that this is so that he and I can open Skylar's presents together. Once Draco's got Skylar securely in the seat, he and I begin tearing the wrapping paper off the first of the baby's presents with as much excitement as if the presents were ours.

Draco takes the red bow off the package and places it on Skylar's head, and the infant looks around curiously as though confused by his father's actions. This causes Draco, Lucius, Narcissa and I to burst into laughter and smile at how cute Skylar is. Narcissa flicks her wand again and quickly summons the camera Draco and I were given at my baby shower, using it to snap a picture hurriedly before the baby can move around enough to knock the bow off his head. After this, Draco and I return to opening the present in our hands, and when we've got it unwrapped Draco presents it to our son.

"Look, bean! It's a toy dragon from Grandma and Grandpa!" he says. Skylar's blue eyes widen at this exact moment, probably as a reaction to the excitement he hears in his father's voice. Chuckling slightly, Draco presses a small button on the Dragon's foot, which activates the toy. The dragon immediately comes to life and flaps its wings, lifting itself into the air above the baby's head and flying around in a circle.

Poor Skylar can't look up just yet as he's so young and his motor skills are still developing, and he therefore can't seem to figure out where the toy has gone. He turns his head from side to side, but eventually gives up on finding his toy and turns his gaze to me, as if to ask "Where'd it go, Mum?" Laughing, I reach up and grab the dragon, pressing the button on its foot and causing it to return to its previous, immobile state. Little Skylar's eyes follow my hand as I place the dragon beside me on the couch, and Draco reaches down and picks up the next present as I do so.

It takes us quite a while to open all the presents that were bought for our son, and by the time we've finished he's received lots of clothes, shoes, toys, and various other 'baby' gifts. Draco continues to show each present to Skylar as they're opened, and the baby's reaction to this occasionally causes the Malfoys and I to start laughing again. From her position on the floor nearby, Narcissa is able to get quite a few good pictures; I'm certain she's taken at least twenty by the time we're done opening Skylar's presents. After all the infant's presents are open, Narcissa passes out the rest of the presents, starting with Lucius.

Draco's father opens his presents slowly, taking time to examine each one thoroughly and then thanking the person, or people in mine and Draco's case, who got it for him. Narcissa is the next to open her presents because Draco and I have to wait until after feeding a very irritable and hungry Skylar. She also opens each present slowly, trying her best to hide the excitement that is evident on her face. She smiles in delight with each present she opens and insists vehemently that this gift is _exactly _what she wanted for Christmas, even though she's said that about every gift she's received thus far.

At my insistence, Draco opens his presents next, receiving clothes, shoes, potion-making ingredients and supplies, and new Quidditch robes from either myself or his parents. He's more blatant about his excitement than his parents had been, and tears the paper off his presents very quickly. He makes sure, however, to thank either his parents or me after opening each one; he also gives me a smile and quick kiss of gratitude after each present. The _main _gift that I got for him, though, is opened last, and Narcissa and I eye each other knowingly as he sets to work unwrapping it; we're both _positive _that Draco's going to be thrilled about this gift and have been eagerly awaiting his reaction since Narcissa helped me pick it out in Diagon Alley two weeks ago. I can feel myself blushing as Draco peels back the paper, and when he's finally got it all removed he gasps, "Merlin's Beard!" I smile at his reaction and he turns to look at me in awe. "You got me a Firebolt 3?" he asks with an astonished tone.

I simply nod my head in response before asking, "Do you like it?"

"_Of course_ I do!" he exclaims, turning his head to examine and appraise his new broomstick. Then he returns his gaze to me and smiles widely before leaning closer and kissing me tenderly once more. "I can't _wait _to try it out," he says, "I'm _really _going to whoop up on Dad and the others now."

Out of the corner of my eye I see Lucius roll his eyes in response to Draco's statement. "Great," he says a moment later. "Just what Draco needed: _even more _of a reason to brag about how good a Quidditch player he is." I can't help but laugh in response to Lucius' statement, and Narcissa laughs right along with me. As she regains her composure, she walks back over to the Christmas tree and flicks her wand again, this time causing the remaining presents to float and land in front of me. Though ecstatic about getting to open my presents, I feel slightly awkward because I feel three pairs of eyes on me, and I'm not used to receiving so many presents on Christmas as I grew up in an orphanage.

I take my time, slowly opening each gift and examining them, as Lucius had; I also make sure to thank the giver or givers. I receive lots of clothes, shoes, books of common spells and various other trinkets from Draco's parents. From Draco, however, I receive more romantic gifts. He gives me a bottle of self-replenishing lavender perfume that smells divine, a bouquet of purple orchids that will never die, and lots of beautiful sparkling jewelry with diamonds that change colors to match the outfit I'm wearing at the time. I feel completely spoiled by the time all my presents have been unwrapped; I'm so shocked that I'm almost speechless.

Now that all my presents have been opened, Narcissa says that there's one last gift to be given out; she says it's a gift for both me _and _Draco. She flicks her wand one final time, causing a large box to appear in front of the sofa. Draco and I cast each other curious glances before getting to our feet and unwrapping the present together. Draco's eyes widen and he seems to be shocked when we finish removing the paper and reveal what appears to be a silver bowl resting atop a podium. I, however, am slightly confused; I'm not sure what this is.

"Do you like it?" Narcissa asks as Draco and I continue to stare at it.

"It's brilliant," Draco replies. Not wanting his parents to notice my confusion, I speak to Draco via Amare Vinculum, the love bond we share that allows us to communicate through our thoughts.

"_Draco… exactly what is this?_" I ask; he looks up from the gift and into my eyes momentarily as he responds.

_"It's a pensieve," _he replies. "_It allows you to store memories and view them later." _

_Oh! _I think to myself, now suddenly much more appreciative of the gift now that I know what it is.

"Your father and I thought it'd be nice for the two of you to have this, to be able to save all the precious memories of Skylar's first year and the start of the your new life as a couple," Narcissa says softly. I gasp loudly in response to her statement; I hadn't even _thought _about what sorts of memories could be stored.

"Oh Narcissa!" I exclaim, running over and pulling her into a hug. "That's such a thoughtful gift! Thank you _so _much!" Narcissa smiles from ear to ear and hugs me tightly.

"I'm glad you like it, dear," she says quietly in my ear. When I release my future mother-in-law a moment later, I find that Draco is waiting to hug her as well, so I decide to go thank Lucius for the gift also.

Without thinking, I pull him into a warm embrace as I tell him "thank you", and I can immediately tell it's made him feel awkward because he tenses up and seems a bit shocked. Until I notice his reaction, I had forgotten about Lucius being a 'non-hugger'; he rarely shows emotions. In fact, the only time I've ever seen him hug Draco, his own _son_, was the day our son was born, and even that was a bit awkward and only lasted for a few seconds. Though everyone else is normally _more _affectionate on Christmas, Lucius' rule of 'no hugging' apparently still applies.

Nevertheless, he pats my back awkwardly and says "You're welcome". In an effort to decrease his feeling of discomfort, I quickly pull away from him and walk back over to where Skylar is, lifting him up out of the seat his grandmother conjured for him a little while ago.

"Now then," Narcissa says, "let's all go have breakfast; we've a busy day ahead."

Draco, Lucius and I immediately follow her into the kitchen, where the maids have prepared a feast fit for a king. We all eat heartily as Skylar snoozes in his tiny seat before rushing upstairs to shower and dress for the day; Narcissa _wasn't _exaggerating when she said we've got a busy day ahead of us. By the time we've dressed and made it back downstairs, Lucius' family has arrived for more food and gift-giving; Draco's grandmother, Uncle Maximus and Aunt Tracy, and his two younger cousins remain at Malfoy Manor until late afternoon, and even have lunch with us. Once they leave, it's time to run back upstairs and slip into something more classy and elegant for the enormous Christmas Party Narcissa has thrown; it's apparently a tradition of hers.

By six-thirty in the evening, the manor is full of guests, including Draco's friends and their families, Lucius and Draco's coworkers, and some of Narcissa's friends. There's singing, dancing, wine, and yet another meal fit to be served in a palace, as well as more gifts. By ten-thirty things have finally settled down and the last of Narcissa's party guests has left. Completely exhausted, the Malfoys and I head up to bed immediately, telling each other "Happy Christmas" one last time as we do so.

Draco and I tuck our exhausted son into his crib and we each give him a kiss on the forehead before making our way out of his nursery and into our bedroom. After changing into our pajamas and brushing our teeth, we lie down and snuggle up close to each other, talking excitedly about the day's activities, thanking each other for our gifts _once again_, and telling each other how this has been the best Christmas of our lives, simply because we were together. When our eyelids start to droop only moments later, Draco kisses my forehead and quietly whispers, "Happy Christmas, darling… I love you".

"Happy Christmas… I love you, too," I reply as I slowly drift off to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2 The News

As Christmas fell on a Saturday this year, Draco and I are able to spend Sunday together before he has to go back to work on Monday. We spend the entire day lounging around and playing with Skylar, as well as giving our Christmas gifts a closer examination. By the time the day has ended, we've learned how to and have successfully stored more than a dozen memories in our pensieve and have found places for all our gifts and put them away.

Still being exhausted from all the Christmas excitement yesterday, we go to bed very early. We are awoken around four a.m. by the sound of Skylar's crying from the nursery next door, which Draco amplified with a Sonorus Charm a while back. When I start peeling the green covers off myself to get up and see what the baby needs, Draco tells me to stay put; he says that he'll take care of Skylar so I can go back to sleep. I protest and insist that I've got it, since Draco has to be up early in the morning for work and therefore needs his rest. Draco will have none of it, however, and I eventually give in to his persistence and my drooping eyelids and fall back asleep.

Though I'd love to go straight back to sleep when Draco accidentally wakes me as he's getting ready for work Monday morning, I force myself to get out of bed, remembering that Narcissa and I have a very busy day today; we have to go to Diagon Alley to order the flowers for my and Draco's wedding. As the wedding is only a month and a half away, Narcissa and I are going to be extremely busy from here on out as we try to make the final preparations; we weren't able to get much done before Christmas because I was recovering from giving birth to Skylar. Now, however, I'm nearly one hundred percent better and was cleared by my healer, Mrs. Taylor, at my eight weeks post-delivery checkup to get back into the swing of everyday activities, including the frantic wedding preparations.

As soon as we've finished dressing, Draco and I go downstairs to have a quick breakfast with Lucius and Narcissa, after which the men leave for their jobs at the Ministry of Magic and I go upstairs to feed Skylar and get him ready for the trip to Diagon Alley with Narcissa and me. The three of us spend nearly the entire day in the Alley, choosing beautiful purple flowers and various other wedding decorations, before finally making our way home around three p.m.

When Draco and Lucius return from work a couple of hours later, Draco half-heartedly asks how the wedding shopping went with a crease in his brow and a troubled look on his face. Instead of answering him, I immediately ask what's wrong. Draco refuses to answer, however, but assures me that he'll explain everything later. Temporarily satisfied but still curious, I begin describing the day's activities to him in the hopes of lightening his mood. The Malfoys and I eat dinner a short while later, after which I entrust Skylar to his grandmother's care and practically drag Draco up to our bedroom, hoping that now he'll tell me what's on his mind.

We take a seat next to each other on the sofa that sits at the end of our bed, and Draco lets out a heavy sigh; I take his hand reassuringly and urge him to tell me what's wrong. Without looking at me, he states simply, "They've set a date for the trial."

"Oh," I say suddenly, sounding much calmer than I feel. For some reason, my heart feels as though it's in my stomach as I begin to think about the trial Draco's mentioned, as well as the events leading up to it.

Back before Christmas, when Skylar was only a week old, a very scary-looking man broke into Malfoy Manor and tried to take him from me. As Draco and Lucius were home at the time, no harm was done, and the culprit, a werewolf, was apprehended. Before Lucius used the killing curse to end the werewolf's bloody life, he and Draco got as much information from him as they could. They discovered that the plot to take Skylar had been formulated by none other than Fenrir Greyback, the most notorious and feared werewolf known to wizard kind. Draco was unable to discover the reason for Greyback's interest in our son, but he did discover the name of another of Greyback's accomplices.

One of Draco and Lucius' coworkers within the Ministry, a man by the surname of Savage, had apparently helped the intruder gain access to the Malfoy Manor grounds. Immediately after ending the intruder's life, Lucius had gone straight to the home of Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic and one of his close friends, and demanded Savage's arrest and punishment, the first of which he received the very next day. As the Christmas holiday had been rapidly approaching at the time, however, no date had been set for the trial at which Savage's punishment would be determined. Apparently now, however, that has changed, and I have very mixed feelings about it.

The Malfoys and I have been anxious to see justice done upon the man who assisted in the almost-kidnapping of the newest member of the Malfoy family. It is strange, then, that now that a date _has_ been set, even though I don't know the date yet, I'm nervous. I don't exactly know _why _I'm nervous, and I really have no reason to be, but I'm nervous nonetheless. Completely lost in these feelings and my thoughts, I haven't even noticed that Draco's sensed my uneasiness and has been calling my name for the past several minutes. He finally shakes my arm gently, pulling me out of my thoughts and back to the current situation.

"Oh, sorry!" I reply quickly with a blink of my eyes and a shake of my head. "I guess I spaced out for a moment."

"It's all right, love," he replies, still seeming concerned. "I was just asking you how you feel about the news."

"Fine," I lie quickly. "How long have we got before the big day?"

"That's just it," Draco replies cautiously, "_we_ don't _have _to attend."

"Draco, that man was almost responsible for our son being kidnapped… of _course _we're going to the trial!" I reply, shocked at his implication.

"Darling, you're missing my point," he says softly as he looks deep into my blue eyes. "What I'm saying is that _I'm _going to the trial… but I don't want _you _to."

Knowing Draco the way I do, I _know _he's only suggesting this was a way to protect me, but that doesn't make me feel any less shocked or hurt. "What?" I ask immediately; I notice Draco wince as I do so and he immediately goes to his own defense.

"Baby please, just hear me out," he says, holding his hands up in front of himself. "I'm only saying this for your protection," he continues. "The trial's going to be very emotional and intense… Savage's family will be there, and so will tons of reporters for the _Daily Prophet. _I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that the outcome is going to upset you, no matter what it is, because it'll remind you of what happened the day that werewolf broke in. And it'd be even worse on you if you were at the trial; I won't have Savage's family and the reporters hounding you and upsetting you even more. If you're going to get upset about the outcome, _I'd_ rather be the one to tell you, and I'd rather for you to be here at home when I tell you so I can comfort you."

Having finished pleading his case, Draco eyes me apprehensively and takes a deep breath in, waiting for my reaction. "What do you mean about Savage's family and the reporters hounding me?" I ask.

"Love," Draco replies, "Savage's family is desperate. They're going to do and say anything they can to try and get him out of trouble. They'll say horrible things about our family and try to embarrass us; they'll try their best to make us look bad in an effort to make it look like Savage doesn't deserve to be punished for what he did." Draco hesitates for a moment, and I can tell he's trying to decide whether or not he should say the next thing that's popped into his mind. After visibly struggling with the decision for a moment, he continues. "Darling, they're probably going to bring up the fact that Skylar was born before we were married, and that we're living together."

I feel my cheeks flush at this statement. "What does that have to do with anything?" I ask, admittedly hurt by the idea that someone would try to use that against the Malfoy family.

"Nothing, love," Draco replies as he caresses my cheek tenderly and casts me a reassuring gaze. "It has nothing to do with what he did, but that won't stop them from trying to use it against us, in front of an entire courtroom_ and _the press." Now understanding what Draco meant when he said the family and the press would hound me, I gaze down at the floor in shame and fall into silence.

In an effort to lift my spirits, Draco places his finger beneath my chin and lifts my face so that our eyes are meeting. "You've got _nothing _to be ashamed about," he says firmly. "It's just that trials are _pure hell_, I just wanted to prepare you for what I know is coming. People will do _anything _to get their loved ones out of trouble for the crimes they've committed, and I don't want you witnessing that and getting all upset just because someone's grasping for straws to get them out of trouble. Besides, you could lose control of your powers and hurt yourself. The courtroom really isn't a place for a respectable woman anyway; my father is asking Mum not to go either."

"So, there aren't going to be _any _women at the trial?" is all I can manage to ask. Seeming puzzled that I've asked this question, Draco replies.

"Perhaps members of the jury or Savage's family members," he says, "but no others. Blaise, Crabbe, and Goyle are going, but they say that Pansy, Mary and Martha won't be going either. And their fathers are going, also, but not their mothers. In fact, Father and I thought that perhaps all the women could meet up over here, for… you know… emotional support, for you and Mum."

I consider everything Draco has said for a moment and open my mouth to respond, but he cuts me off. "I know you think you should be there, and I know you feel like a child when I get so protective of you, but this is very, very important to me," he says, looking into my eyes pleadingly as he does so. "_Please," _he continues, "don't fight me on this. _Please_ promise me you won't go to the trial."

Taking this plea into consideration, I pause to think once more. I know my future husband is only doing what he thinks is best for me, and I love him for it. Therefore, if it really means so much to him, I decide that I'll agree to go along with his wishes; I don't want to cause him any unnecessary grief at such a stressful time.

"Okay, Draco," I reply quietly. "I _promise… _I _won't _go to the trial." At this, Draco breathes a sigh of relief and pulls me close to him.

"Thank you," he whispers in my ear. We sit in the same spot embracing for a while before he speaks again. "So, how do you _really _feel about all this?" he asks in my ear.

"Nervous," I reply with a heavy sigh, feeling butterflies fluttering around in my stomach.

"Me too," he says quietly. We continue to sit in silence hugging for a while longer and then Draco pulls away from me. "What do you think about all the ladies coming over here during the trial?" he asks.

"Well, although it's always a bit awkward with Mary and Martha around," I reply matter-of-factly as I think about Crabbe and Goyle's strange, childish and annoying giggling girlfriends, "I think it's a great idea. We'd be able to keep each other distracted and comfort each other as well." Draco smiles in response to my statement and gives me a kiss on the forehead. Looking deep into his eyes, a question crosses my mind, and I don't hesitate to ask it. "So, what are the possible outcomes of the trial?" I ask uncertainly. "What could happen?" Draco's brow furrows and he considers this for a moment before speaking.

"Well, he's _certainly _not going to get away with it, no matter how much his family tries to save him, if that's what you're wondering," he replies. Though feeling unsure about this, I nod my head in response, but feel somewhat dissatisfied with the answer I've received.

"As far as the punishments he could receive, though," I ask, "what are the possibilities?" "Well," he begins, "the Ministry doesn't sentence people to death, no matter _what _crime they've committed. Of course, my father doesn't like that too much; he thinks Savage deserves to die for what he did… he's already been talking to the Minister about making an exception in Savage's case, but Fudge says his hands are tied as it's just a case of attempted kidnapping."

Hearing the word 'death' causes a cold chill to run up my spine, but I don't interrupt Draco, and he continues. "The absolute _worst _punishment the Ministry ever gives out is having a Dementor suck out the person's soul," he says. Though I've never seen a Dementor, I've heard that they are very nasty creatures. The words themselves, "suck out the person's soul", sound absolutely horrible, and I can't even begin to imagine what that must be like. I shudder as another cold chill involuntarily runs up my spine, but continue to listen to Draco, who is now staring off into the distance in contemplation.

"After that," he says more to himself than to me, "the next punishment is life in Azkaban. And then there are smaller sentences of about ten years or so. Of course, anyone who stays in Azkaban that long spends the rest of their life in St. Mungo's Mental Ward." I gasp and look up at Draco in horror at this statement, and he seems to realize he's said too much; he immediately looks down at me seeming embarrassed.

"Sorry, love," he says apologetically. I nod my head in response, indicating my forgiveness as I contemplate which of the punishments that Draco's mentioned will be given to Savage. Though I _do _want the criminal to be punished for his actions, I know that Draco was correct when he said that I'd be upset at any outcome. I know it will be very upsetting to me if Savage receives too harsh a punishment; I'll feel guilty. But I also know that if he receives too _lenient _a punishment, I'll live in fear that he'll do something else to harm Skylar someday. I contemplate this for a few moments, but find it too stressful a thought to dwell on.

"Oh Draco," I say with a sigh after a few moments as I lay my head on his shoulder, "I know we've been waiting ages for this, but do you think we're really _ready_ to go through all this? To find out Savage's punishment, I mean?"

"I hope so," he says quietly, "because the trial is tomorrow."

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><p><strong>Author's Note: Surprise! I've been working tirelessly to get this next chapter up for you all, and I'm working on another as we speak! I'm sorry if the action seems to be starting a bit too early here as it's only the 2nd chapter, but we've got a LOT of ground to cover in this book! Please let me know what you think!<strong>


	3. Chapter 3 Punishment

My eyes widen and my mouth drops open in response to Draco's last statement, and I gasp loudly. I watch as Draco winces when he sees my reaction, and I immediately start barraging him with questions. "Tomorrow?" I ask incredulously. "What do you mean the trial's tomorrow?"

"I'm sorry love," he says apologetically, "I was getting to that bit." I immediately jump to my feet and brush a few strands of jet black hair behind my ear, trying to ignore the sinking feeling that has now overtaken my stomach and heart. I start pacing back and forth nervously and wring my hands in despair. "Darling, calm down," Draco pleads. "Here, have a seat."

Knowing that calming down is impossible for me right now, I ignore Draco's request. "But that's too soon!" I mutter quietly, more to myself than to him. "Why in Merlin's name are they doing it so quickly?" Draco interrupts my out-loud thinking with an answer.

"It's my father's doing," he explains. "He had a conversation with Fudge today… he told him he was upset that it was taking so long to bring Savage to justice, so Fudge set the court date for as soon as he possibly could." I stare at Draco with wild eyes as he explains the events that led to this sudden catastrophe, and when he finishes speaking he gets to his feet and pulls me into a hug. "It's going to be all right, angel," he begins, but he isn't able to finish his statement because just then there's a loud knock at our bedroom door.

"Draco, may we come in?" his mother calls. When Draco hesitates to answer, she speaks again. "It's important," she says with an air of urgency.

"All right then," Draco replies, "come in." I faintly hear the bedroom door open behind me, and then there's the sound of two pairs of moving feet that seems strangely far away. As I stand there in Draco's arms waiting for either Lucius or Narcissa to speak, I start to notice that I'm feeling a bit dizzy and out of it. Lucius speaks, however, preventing me from warning Draco of what I fear may be happening; I'm losing control of my weather-affecting Lucius speaks, I'm surprised to find that he and Narcissa have come for this exact reason.

"Son, I've brought Jayde another dose of her Nimbimagus Potion," he says. "I knew she'd be upset and nervous when you told her about the trial."

"How did you know I'd told her?" Draco asks with confusion evident in his tone.

"There are two tornados outside, and they've only just sprung up in the past five minutes," Lucius explains.

"Bloody hell!" Draco exclaims, placing his hands on the tops of my arms firmly and pulling me back so that I'm facing him and he can see my eyes. Though I haven't completely blacked out yet, my vision has gone slightly blurry, and I struggle to look into Draco's frightened eyes. "Give me the potion, Father," he says frantically, "her eyes are going white." At this, I feel Draco guide me back over to the sofa we were seated on previously, and he eases me from my standing position into a seated one. I watch the blurry movements of Lucius stepping forward and handing the vial of violet-colored potion to his son, and then Draco kneels in front of me and places the vial to my lips. He tilts my head backwards, making it easier for me to swallow the potion as he pours it into my mouth.

Once the potion has made its way down my throat, I start to feel immensely more aware of my surroundings with each passing moment. Within five minutes' time, I'm feeling like myself again, though still nervous about tomorrow's events. I look up to find the concerned faces of all three Malfoys staring back at me, and I can't help but feel horrible for losing control like that.

"I'm sorry," I say quietly to all three of them. Narcissa, who is standing near the bedroom door with Skylar in her arms, is the first to speak up.

"It's all right, dear," she says sweetly. "I was rather nervous myself when I found out." I cast her a weak but grateful smile in response.

"Are you okay, love?" Draco asks me immediately afterwards.

"Mhmm," I reply, lowering my gaze to his beautiful silver-grey orbs and nodding my head in what I hope is a reassuring manner. My reassurance apparently works, for Draco flashes a bright smile at me and leans forward, kissing me tenderly. "I'm sorry I upset you," he says a moment later when he's released me from the kiss, looking rather upset with himself. "Perhaps I shouldn't have told you."

"It's something I needed to know, love," I reply, placing my right hand against the pale skin of his cheek. "It's not your fault I got upset." Though he still doesn't seem sure of this, Draco doesn't respond. Instead, he turns his face to the side and kisses the open palm of my hand before taking it into his own and taking a seat beside me on the sofa.

"Now then," Narcissa says, "I'm going downstairs to have the maids start cleaning for our guests tomorrow." With this, she walks forward and extends her Skylar-laden arms. "Here, Draco," she continues, "you take Sky. And Jayde, don't you worry about _a thing_; I'm going to make sure tomorrow is so fun-filled and exciting that you won't even have _time _to think about that silly trial." With that, she turns and walks from the room with an air of importance.

Lucius, who waits for his wife to leave the room before doing so himself, casts Draco and me a playful, knowing look as he makes his way into the hallway, closing the bedroom door behind himself. Once I'm sure both of Draco's parents are out of ear-shot, I start chuckling loudly. "What's so funny?" Draco asks happily in response.

"Leave it to your mother to turn such a solemn gathering into a party," I reply meaningfully. The two of us laugh for a moment about this, but that laughter is short-lived. Though Narcissa _did _lighten the mood in the room quite a bit, that doesn't change the very real and rapidly-approaching trial tomorrow. Though now somewhat subdued, Draco and I remain nervous for the remainder of the evening and lie in bed awake for what seems like days after placing Skylar in his crib.

When we finally _do _fall asleep out of pure exhaustion in the wee hours of the morning, we're awakened what seems like only five minutes later by Narcissa, who's making sure Draco will be up in time to make himself look presentable in front of the jury. As I try to lighten the mood and joke with Draco about how he never _ceases _to look presentable, I can't help but think that it feels as though the Malfoys and I are the ones on trial, not Savage.

Though I know that, when it comes down to it, it's the latter's fate that will be decided today, the thought that the Malfoy family will be under scrutiny as well is nerve-wracking and seems a bit unfair. After all, _we _didn't do anything wrong… it was _Savage_ who broke the law and told someone the password to access the manor grounds, endangering our lives as well as Skylar's. I try to keep Draco oblivious to my thoughts and concerns as I help him get ready for court and get myself dressed for the day as well. He gives me quite a few sympathetic looks, however, that show me that my attempts at disguising my uneasiness have been futile.

Once we've finished getting ready, we go downstairs to have breakfast together before Draco and Lucius leave and all the ladies begin arriving to spend the day with Narcissa and me. Not much food actually gets eaten at the breakfast table, however; I'm so nervous that I'm unable to eat and simply push my food around on the plate to appease Draco, who is too busy urging _me _to eat to do so himself. Once we've all finished pretending to eat, Lucius brings me another dose of my Nimbimagus potion, to keep my powers in check in case I get too upset as I'm waiting for he and Draco to get back from court. Then Lucius and Narcissa embrace and kiss before Lucius makes his way towards the Entrance Hall, and Draco and I do the same before he, too, leaves the Dining Room.

I watch as Draco follows his father out onto the grounds, and Narcissa and I continue to watch from the front door until the Malfoy men are out of sight. I immediately turn on my heel and walk upstairs to wake, feed, and dress Skylar, trying my best to ignore the twisting sensation my insides seem to be making. By the time I get back downstairs, the Mrs. Goyle, Crabbe, and Zabini have all arrived, as well as the Minister of Magic's wife, whom I didn't know was coming to Malfoy Manor today. We all retire to the Drawing Room, where it is evident that Narcissa has once again gone overboard with party preparations; she's got a table laden with party food sitting in the far left corner of the room, and it's evident that she's planned several games for today as well.

Instead of beginning the day's activities, however, Narcissa has the maids prepare a cup of coffee for our guests, and I sit and watch in silence as the women talk, trying to pass the time until the rest of the 'party' guests arrive. When Pansy, Mary, and Martha arrive a short while later, they are ushered into the Drawing Room by one of the maids and immediately make a beeline for the sofa I'm sitting on with Skylar in my arms. I can't help but notice with extreme satisfaction that Mary and Martha _aren't _giggling for once, and when I notice the way they keep casting fearful glances in Pansy's direction I feel almost certain that the latter must have threatened to curse them if they acted so immature today.

When Pansy asks quietly how I'm holding up, I respond truthfully that I feel like I've been hit with the Jelly-Legs Curse. When I try to go into further detail about how nervous I'm feeling, however, Narcissa jumps to her feet and says that it's time to start the first of the games she's planned for the day. All of the games are played in almost complete silence, and the excitement that Narcissa felt certain she could create is non-existent. By lunchtime, she has realized that her games are doing _nothing _to improve my nerves, though I try my best to smile and enjoy them for her sake. After all, I appreciate her going to so much trouble to make me feel better… I just find it hard to concentrate on anything but the clock above the fireplace and can't help but wonder how long the trial will last; it seems like it's been _ages _since Draco and Lucius left this morning.

After our guests have eaten a lovely lunch, and Narcissa and I have _pretended _to do so, we all make our way back to the Drawing Room. Now, however, Narcissa abandons her games and we all simply sit in various spots around the room, conversing about various subjects. When the Minister's wife asks me how the wedding planning is coming along a while later, I find myself focused on something besides the trial for the first time today. Narcissa and I begin discussing the preparations we've made thus far, as well as what remains to be done to get ready for the big day. The bridal shower also comes up in the conversation, and Mary and Martha, who hadn't received an invitation, eagerly ask if they can come.

Though Pansy and I eye each other apprehensively and try to think of a way out of this situation, Narcissa immediately tells them they're more than welcome to come, and that she's very sorry that she'd forgotten to send them their invitations. I can't help but feel rather disappointed at this, but Mary and Martha look as though that's the best news they've ever received. They act even more excited when they ask if there's anything they can do to help with the shower's preparations and Narcissa replies, "Why, of course! We could always use an extra wand or two!"

I hear a low, almost growling sound come from Pansy's closed mouth at this, and I can't help but mentally agree with her disproval. I try to convince myself, however, that maybe it won't be as bad as I think it will. After all, the girls have been fairly giggle-free and mature today; if they continue to act this way, having them around won't be so bad.

As all eight ladies and I continue to discuss the bridal shower and wedding preparations, there's a faint sound coming from the Entrance Hall, and my heart drops into my stomach when I hear the front door open and the sound of Lucius' and several other men's voices approaching. All conversation in the Drawing Room immediately ceases, and every woman's eyes are focused on the open doors. When Lucius steps through the doorway a moment later, he stops in his tracks and casts both Narcissa and me knowing looks, and I feel all the blood drain from my face.

"Well, Lucius?" Narcissa asks from her seat on the sofa across the room. Seeming rather upset, Lucius looks at his wife silently in response for a moment before answering her.

Then he quietly says, "Savage was sentenced to life in Azkaban, without the possibility of parole."

My heart flip-flops at this information, and I look over to gauge Narcissa's reaction. She lets out a relieved sigh and the tension on her face eases somewhat. "Thank Merlin!" she says barely louder than a whisper. Lucius, who clearly doesn't share his wife's feeling that this outcome is a good one, shakes his head slightly before walking across the room to the fireplace and staring down into the flames. As he does so, the ladies seated next to Narcissa begin patting her on the back and try to soothe her as tears stream down her pale face.

All the men who were behind Lucius start filing into the room at this, making their way over to where their wives or girlfriends are seated. I try to peek around them, looking for a sign of Draco. When I finally catch sight of him, he's near the back of the crowd, slowly making his way forward. He walks towards me slowly, eyeing me apprehensively. As he does so, Pansy reaches over and takes Skylar from my arms, allowing me to stand and greet Draco. Once he reaches me, Draco wraps his arms around me and places a hand against the back of my head, pushing my face against his shoulder gently.

He quietly whispers in my ear, "It's okay love, he's going someplace where he can never try to hurt Skylar again. And now Greyback has _no one _to help him. Everything's going to be all right."

I try to fight back tears as Draco speaks, but they slowly start to flow. And as I stand there in my fiance's embrace, the full impact of the situation finally hits me, and I suddenly understand why I'd been so nervous when I heard about the trial. Subconsciously I'd feared that Savage would only receive a couple of years in prison and would be able to assist Greyback again in no time.

Though I wouldn't wish imprisonment on anyone, I can't help but start to feel very relieved and at ease… my conscience feels clear knowing that Savage won't have to suffer the Dementor's kiss, but I also feel safe in knowing that _nobody_ escapes Azkaban, which Draco assured me of this morning.

For some reason, my relief only causes me to cry harder; it's as though all my pent-up anger, fear, confusion and uncertainty are being released at the same time. Draco allows me to cry for a few more moments, but then he pulls back to look at me. Smiling, he wipes away the last of the tears that are rolling down my cheeks. "There there, darling," he says, "no more tears. It's all over."


	4. Chapter 4 Questions

I smile slightly in response to Draco's statement, and he leans down and kisses me tenderly. When we pull apart a moment later, Draco suggests that we take Skylar upstairs and put him down for a nap. I think that this is a good idea, but I also feel certain that Draco's got ulterior motives for making this suggestion. I quickly nod my head in response and lean down, taking my son from Pansy and quietly assuring her that Draco and I will be back soon.

I feel several pairs of eyes on me as Draco and I make our way across the Drawing Room and into the Entrance Hall, and am extremely thankful when we're out of sight. As we make our way up the marble staircase, I quietly ask, "What's this all about?"

A playful smile lights up his handsome face, and Draco turns his head to the right to look at me. "Was I _that _obvious?" he asks with a chuckle; I laugh and nod my head in response. "I just wanted to get us away from my father," he replies. "He's very upset about the sentence, as he made everyone aware of just now. I'd rather for you and Skylar not to witness his frustration at the moment."

"I don't think he was too obvious about it," I reply truthfully as we reach the second floor and turn to climb the last flight of stairs. "He wasn't swearing or anything."

"Darling, the temperature in the Drawing Room dropped _ten degrees _when he entered; I _felt _it," Draco replies, causing me to burst into a raucous fit of laughter.

"What?" he asks. "It's true! He's in a horrible mood and he's going to bring everyone down with him. It was already getting too tense in there, and he's only _just _arrived."

"Well, I can't argue there," I reply matter-of-factly.

At this point we've reached the third floor, and the two of us walk off to the left down the hallway towards the nursery. Draco opens the door for me and I step inside, cuddling a droopy-eyed Skylar against my left shoulder. I walk over to the side of the crib and lean down, gently easing the infant onto the sheets. Once I've done so, I lean up and stare down at him in wonder. Draco comes to stand behind me after a moment and he wraps his arms around my waist and rests his head against my right shoulder. I place my arms on top of his and the two of us stare down at our son in silence, watching as the tired tyke blinks and then finally closes his eyes.

Once I'm certain that the infant's asleep, I glance up at the pale blue enchanted wall in silent contemplation. I watch as several small, lime-green colored toads hop around on it, from one lily pad to another, considering everything that's happened in the past twenty-four hours. Out of the corner of my eye I notice Draco reaching into his pocket for his wand, and then flicking it in the air once before returning it to his pocket, and I assume he's just removed the Sonorus Charm he'd placed upon the room so that we can talk without being overheard.

"What are you thinking so hard about, love?" he asks quietly in my ear a moment later so as not to wake Skylar. I smile slightly at his question, amazed by how my fiancé always seems to know when I've got something on my mind.

"Nothing," I reply quietly as I follow one of the hopping toads with my eyes.

"And _everything_," Draco replies, causing me to turn my head to the right and smile as I look up at him, losing myself within the depths of those beautiful grey eyes.

I watch the light dance in Draco's eyes as he surveys me for a moment, and then he leans down and kisses me tenderly. Our lips intertwine seamlessly for a few moments, and Draco removes his hands from my waist and turns me around to face him as we continue to kiss. In what seems like an involuntary reaction, I wrap my arms around his neck in response. When the kissing stops a moment later, we simply stand rooted to the same spot in silence for a moment, smiling at each other.

"Now then," he says as he brushes a stand of hair behind my ear, "why don't you tell me what's bothering you?"

"Nothing's _bothering_ me," I reply quietly. "I was just wondering how the trial went. Did Savage explain _why _he was helping Greyback?"

"Savage didn't really say _anything_," Draco replies, seeming perplexed at his own statement. "He didn't say _one word _the whole time… not _one word _in his own defense. It was very strange."

My eyebrows furrow in confusion at this piece of news, and I mentally agree with Draco that this is indeed, very strange. "Savage's family, and his lawyer, tried to argue that he must have been either insane or under the Imperius Curse at the time, but the fact that he was just sitting there in silence with a smug smile on his face made that theory hard to believe," Draco continues.

I suddenly feel very uneasy at this statement… the Imperius Curse is one thing I _hadn't _considered as being the reason for Savage's involvement yet. _What if Savage was under the Imperius Curse? _ I think to myself. _He wouldn't have been able to control himself, and it certainly wouldn't be his fault... what if he was just sentenced to life in Azkaban for something he was forced to do? _I start to feel horrible as I consider this possibility; I know it's not my fault that Savage is in prison, but I still feel partially responsible, and guilty. I start to realize that Draco is giving me a curious look, clearly wondering what's going through my mind, so I decide to go ahead and answer his question before he asks it. Instead of expressing these thoughts to him directly, however, I ask him the simplest question I can think of that sums up all my thoughts and will put an end to my uneasiness.

"Do you think he was under the Imperius Curse?" I ask quietly.

"Absolutely not," he says seriously. "You should have seen his face, love. There wasn't a hint of remorse; it's like he was… _proud… _of what he'd done. I think he did it for money… the prosecutor found out that an unusually large deposit went into Savage's Gringott's account just before the incident. That certainly didn't sit well with the jurors."

I nod my head slightly in response to Draco's statement and look off to the right for a moment, puzzled. I look back up at Draco before posing another question. "His family," I begin, "did they say anything? About _us_, I mean." Draco gives me a sympathetic look at this and places his right hand against my cheek in a comforting way.

"No, darling," he says meaningfully. "They shot us some ugly glances when the verdict was read, but they never said anything. I'm certain they'll do an interview with the _Prophet_, though, so I'd like you to try to avoid reading it for a few days."

"Okay," I say quietly with a nod of my head. I stare down at the floor momentarily and a few seconds of silence pass between Draco and I.

"Now then," Draco says suddenly, interrupting the silence with a devilish smile playing on his lips, "let's not talk about that anymore… I want all this drama behind us. Besides, my father's going to be brooding over it for _weeks_; I'm sure I'll hear quite enough of it from him." I laugh at Draco's reasoning and shake my head.

"What do you suggest we talk about then?" I ask with raised eyebrows. Draco's smile widens in response to my question and I notice there's a flicker of mischief in his eyes.

"I say we talk about you and me," he begins. "Let's talk about how we've just received some _wonderful _news, and how we're alone together and Skylar's asleep… and while we're at it we can discuss how you're _killing _me in that dress, Mrs. Malfoy."

I blush and smile up at my fiancé, immediately catching on to his meaning. "You're not looking too bad yourself, Mr. Malfoy," I say playfully as I admire Draco's god-like, muscular physique, which is accentuated by the black business suit he's wearing.

"Well, I try," he replies with a mock tone of cockiness as he playfully adjusts his tie.

I immediately start chuckling at his antics, but then without warning he places his hands on the sides of my face and pulls me in to a passionate, mind-blowing kiss. Though surprised, I respond to his kisses hungrily. Draco turns us around a moment later, pressing my back against the Nursery wall gently as we continue to caress each other's lips with our own. I feel my body tremble with excitement as the kiss progresses, and I immediately oblige when Draco's tongue lightly brushes against my lower lip, eager to deepen the kiss. As I stand there returning Draco's kisses, I could almost swear I hear voices coming from our bedroom next door. Being somewhat preoccupied at the moment, however, I ignore them and continue partaking in this blissful moment.

Much too soon for my liking, my suspicions are confirmed when Blaise's voice calls out from the hallway. "Draco! Jayde!" he yells, "Where the hell are you two?" I immediately hear Pansy's voice next, scolding her boyfriend for being so loud when he's standing next to the Nursery. I start to wonder if we should stop kissing and go see what Blaise wants, but Draco seems to have _no _intentions of ending this brief make-out session just yet.

That is, until Skylar, who was apparently awoken by Blaise's yelling, starts crying. Obviously frustrated, Draco immediately pulls away from me and I watch as he walks off across the room with his hands atop his platinum hair. He lets out a low growl before walking over and punching the nearest wall. "Damn it, Blaise!" he says gruffly, and loud enough to be heard from the hallway. "Do you have to be so bloody loud all the time?"

At this, the Nursery door opens slowly and Blaise steps inside, followed by Pansy, Crabbe and Goyle, and their girlfriends. "Sorry mate," Blaise says, eyeing Draco apprehensively.

"Do you know how hard it is to get Skylar to sleep?" Draco asks angrily. Blaise simply stares at his friend with a confused look, indicating that he _doesn't _know how hard getting an infant to sleep can be. Annoyed, Draco rolls his eyes and walks away from his friend, going over to the crib and lifting the still screaming Skylar out of it. I can't help but smile as Draco soothes our child, and the infant calms down almost immediately.

After an angry nudge from Pansy, Blaise once again apologizes for waking the baby, earning him a nasty look from Draco. "You're lucky I haven't cursed you already," he says angrily. "What the hell was so bloody important that you had to wake my son anyway?"

"Nothing," Blaise replies, "we were just looking for you two."

"What were you two doing in here anyway?" Crabbe asks rather awkwardly. Now it's Crabbe's turn to receive Draco's death-glare, but Blaise steps in and answers the question.

"They're a _couple_, you git," he says matter-of-factly.

"So?" Crabbe asks, causing me to eye him with incredulity.

Apparently just as amazed by Crabbe's ignorance, Blaise responds. "_So _they were in a room together, _alone_, and it was very quiet. What do you _think _they were doing?" he asks. I feel my face get hot at this, and my eyes widen as I look down, unable to look at any of the newcomers at this particular moment. Mary and Martha immediately burst into one of their signature giggling fits that always have a maddening affect on any observers, and I look up at them in annoyed amazement, wondering what their problem is. My look, however, is nothing compared to the murderous glare Pansy is giving the both of them at the moment, and when they notice this both girls stop laughing immediately.

"I still don't get it," Crabbe says a few seconds later, distracting me from my annoyance with his girlfriend and making me laugh at his ignorance as Blaise casts him a look that clearly questions whether or not Crabbe can really be _this _thick. Everyone else in the room, with the exception of Goyle, laughs right along with me, and as we laugh a curious thought crosses my mind.

_I've never seen Crabbe or Goyle hug, touch, hold hands with, or kiss their girlfriends, _I think to myself_. Now Crabbe's basically admitting he knows nothing about sex, which implies that he hasn't experienced it, and Goyle's acting just as dumbfounded, though he hasn't spoken. And Mary and Martha normally only start giggling when they see Draco and I, or anyone else for that matter, being affectionate or discussing being affectionate. _

All this certainly suggests that being affectionate is something foreign to the two couples, and this seems a bit odd to me_. _I know that Draco's and my relationship isn't quite like most others because we were forced to sleep together before we were even dating, but I still think it's a bit odd that Crabbe and Goyle obviously don't spend time doing those 'couple' things with their girlfriends; I would think every teenage boy would at least have _some _interest in snogging his girlfriend.

I remember that, when we first met Mary and Martha, Draco said that he was almost certain that Crabbe and Goyle had simply asked them to be their dinner dates so as not to feel left out, since their two friends had girlfriends. At noticing this, I start to wonder if Crabbe and Goyle are still seeing Mary and Martha in order to keep up this same charade or if they're really serious about their relationships now and have just been too nervous to try anything physical. Though I'm very curious about my recent observations and could go on wondering about their implications for quite some time, Draco speaks and draws my attention back to the present.

"_Why _were you looking for Jayde and me?" he asks with frustration still evident in his tone.

"Things were getting a bit… _glum_… downstairs," Blaise replies. "Your dad's still not taking the news very well."

Draco and I exchange brief, knowing glances at this, and then Crabbe speaks up again. "And we want to see your new broomstick!" he says excitedly, earning him an elbow in the ribs from Goyle.

"What Crabbe _means _to say," Blaise explains through gritted teeth, "is that we were wondering if you fancied a game of two-on-two Quidditch."

I laugh in response to this and shake my head in disbelief. _Boys, _I think to myself. I now look over at Draco to gauge his reaction to Blaise's suggestion, and find that hopeful glint in his eye that tells me he'd really _love_ to go play a match.

Sure enough, he responds positively a moment later, having apparently forgotten his frustration with his friends at the mention of the word 'Quidditch'. "I'm up for a game," he says, before turning to look at me. "Of course, if that's alright with you, darling," he continues. I chuckle as he looks into my eyes, silently begging for my permission.

"Go," I reply with a smile a moment later. "Skylar and I will come outside and cheer you on." That handsome smile that I love so much spreads across Draco's face in response, and I extend my arms as an indication that he should bring Skylar to me so that he can go change into his Quidditch robes. He does so immediately and gives me a quick kiss on the cheek before heading off to our bedroom with his three cronies hot on his heels. Once they've left the room, Martha speaks up, thoroughly shocking me.

"What's so great about a silly game?" she asks, evidently puzzled by the idea.

"Oh it's not just _any _game," Pansy says, imitating Blaise's voice. "It's _Quidditch_."

All four girls, myself included, start laughing raucously at this statement, and I walk over to Skylar's changing table to get him bundled up for the trip outside to watch his father play.


	5. Chapter 5 Visiting

After a nearly two-hour Quidditch match, Draco's friends and all the other guests at Malfoy Manor say their farewells, although Narcissa begs them to stay for dinner. I can't help but think to myself that everyone's abrupt departures might have something to do with the very foul mood Lucius is still in; he's barely said a word to anyone since he got home from the trial, and has nearly downed an entire bottle of firewhiskey.

When dinner is served a short while later, Lucius barely touches his food and the entire family sits in an awkward silence so as not to upset him further. The tension is thick enough to be cut with a knife until Lucius abruptly leaves the table and storms out of the Dining Room in an angry huff. Draco, Narcissa and I cast each other curious glances at this, but none of us dares to speak; we all finish our meals in silence before walking off to our respective rooms for the evening.

Lucius seems a bit less angry when he and Draco leave for work on Wednesday morning. Much to the entire family's relief, he greets everyone somewhat politely with a forced-looking smile on his face. We all eat breakfast together as Narcissa goes on and on about the errands she's got to run today in order to prepare for the rapidly-approaching wedding and bridal shower. I'm a bit surprised that she hasn't mentioned any of these errands to me before now, and wonder if perhaps she'd forgotten.

"Do you need my help today?" I ask her politely, eager to know if my day has already been planned out for me.

"Absolutely not, dear!" she exclaims. "I want this to be as much of a surprise for you as possible."

Though I feel relieved to know that I won't have to spend hours shopping today, I can't help but wonder what I'm going to do with myself while Draco's at work. I consider going to visit my friends Hermione and Ginny, but realize that it would probably be rude of me to just show up at Ginny's home unannounced. Draco finishes his breakfast before I am able to come up with a solution to my problem, and I stop thinking about the issue to give him a quick kiss before he leaves for work. After bidding him goodbye, I write a letter to my two best friends, informing them that Skylar and I will be making a trip to visit them at the Burrow tomorrow, if for no other reason than to escape the confines of Malfoy Manor, which still seems to be shrouded by the dark cloud of Lucius' mood.

When I've finished my letter I walk up to the fourth floor of the manor, the family's private owlery, and give the letter to a tawny, rather old-looking owl. From there I decide to go down to the Nursery to wake, feed, and change Skylar. As I approach the nursery door, I hear Skylar start crying, which is once again amplified due to the Sonorus Charm Draco re-cast upon the room last night before we went to bed. I immediately quicken my pace and rush into the room to comfort the wailing infant, and once he's calm I start tending to his various needs.

I spend most of my day tending to Skylar, and it passes uneventfully and very slowly. I'm ecstatic when the next morning arrives, grateful to have a plan for something to do and eager to see my friends. I get out of bed when Draco does and start bustling about, packing a diaper bag for Skylar and getting dressed. I catch Draco occasionally casting worried glances in my direction as the two of us prepare for our day, and I decide to question him about it on the way down to breakfast.

"What are you worried about, love?" I ask as we start to descend the first flight of stairs. Seeming surprised that I've noticed his distraction, Draco casts me a sideways glance in response.

"I was just wondering if you're sure this is a good idea," he begins. "Going to see your friends, I mean. After all, it's bad enough that you'd be travelling alone, and then there's the fact that Potter hasn't responded to your letter yet. We don't know how he's taking the news about Skylar… what if he sees you holding the baby and it upsets him too much? What if he snaps and tries to hurt one of you?"

My heart swells at Draco's obvious concern for my and Skylar's well-being, but I'm positive that he has nothing to worry about. "As far as the 'travelling alone' bit," I reply in what I hope is a reassuring tone, "I'll let you know before I leave, _and _when I arrive."

Draco nods his head in agreement with this, seeming somewhat satisfied. "But what about Potter?" he presses on, unable to mask the hatred in his voice when he says my friend's surname.

"Harry probably won't even _be _there," I reply truthfully, "but even if he _is_, I know he'd never hurt Skylar or me. He's my _friend, _Draco."

"Yeah, but he's _not _mine," Draco replies darkly as we begin to descend the final flight of stairs down to the Entrance Hall.

"Stop worrying," I tell him meaningfully. "I _promise, _everything's going to be fine." At this, Draco takes a deep, calming breath in and nods his head in agreement, but I can tell by the look on his face he's still unsure.

Suddenly feeling horrible for being the cause of the worry lines on his handsome face, I offer a sacrifice. "Look, if it really bothers you all that much," I say , "I won't go." The way Draco's shoulders relax tells me that this is what he'd secretly wished for all along, but when he looks into my eyes it's evident that now he feels guilty.

"No, don't change your plans now," he says sweetly. "I know how much you've wanted to see your friends. You should go, and I hope you all have a wonderful time. Just, please… _be careful." _There's an almost desperate look on his face when he says this, and I pause at the bottom of the stairs to look into his eyes.

"I promise," I reply before giving him a quick kiss. With that, Draco flashes a brilliant smile at me and wraps his arm around my waist, and we continue into the Dining Room and take our seats.

Less than an hour later, I'm upstairs getting Skylar ready for the trip. I've just finished dressing him and am in the process of putting on his tiny black cloak when there's a knock at the Nursery door. "Come in!" I call out loudly as I finish fastening the cloak around Skylar, wondering who would bother to knock on the door when it's already open. I pick Skylar up and turn, expecting to see one of the maids looking in at me sheepishly. To my surprise and delight, however, it's Hermione and Ginny.

"Oh my… What are you two doing here?" I exclaim as I rush forward and pull each girl into a baby-induced one-armed hug.

"We thought you could use some help getting Skylar and all his things to the Burrow," Hermione replies with a smile.

"That's so thoughtful of the two of you!" I exclaim. "It's _so_ good to see you!"

"It's great to see you, too," my friends reply happily. At this, Skylar makes a grunting noise that calls our attention to him and causes the three of us to laugh heartily.

"And it's good to see you too, Sky," Ginny says playfully as she walks over and tickles his foot. "Merlin, he's growing so fast!" she continues, to which Hermione and I nod our heads in silent agreement. After a moment's silence during which the three of us stare down at my son, Ginny looks up at me with a smile. "Well, are we going or not?" she asks. Laughing, I nod my head in response and the girls immediately grab Skylar's diaper bag and portable bassinette.

I make sure to let Draco know through our love bond that I'm about to leave for the Burrow accompanied by my friends as we make our way down to the Manor gates, and I inform him again when we land in the field outside the Burrow just seconds later. I can't help but notice that he still seems a bit apprehensive when he replies, telling me that he loves me and that he hopes I have a great day.

My friends and I start making our way towards the Burrow's door together; Hermione and Ginny occasionally turn around to make sure I don't need any help carrying Skylar. I start to feel a bit nervous as I approach the wooden door, wondering if Harry _is _here and how he'll react at seeing my son for the first time. I'm not allowed to feel nervous for long, though, for Ginny's mother Molly comes rushing from the house with a huge smile on her face; she's apparently heard the _Pop_ of our apparition into her yard.

"Hello Jayde dear!" she exclaims, pulling me into a hug. I return her hug as best I can with my baby-laden arms, and she immediately turns her attention to my son. "Oh, there he is!" she exclaims. "Here, let me hold him for you while you come in and get settled," she says, offering her hands up to take the infant from me.

Smiling at how Mrs. Weasley never ceases to amaze me with just how maternal she is, I carefully place the confused Skylar into her arms. She turns around, handling the baby with her professional touch which can only come from experience, and starts leading Hermione, Ginny and I the rest of the way inside. Remembering Draco's words of warning this morning, I suddenly find myself feeling anxious again; I wonder if I'll see Harry when I step inside.

Deciding to put an end to my questions before I find myself in the middle of an unexpected uncomfortable situation, I come to a quick stop just outside the kitchen door and motion to Hermione and Ginny that I'd like for them to remain outside with me for just a moment longer. "Um… where are Harry and Ron?" I ask my friends quietly, wondering if they realize the reason behind my question.

"You've got nothing to worry about," Ginny replies quickly. "They're in Diagon Alley, helping Fred and George out in the joke shop." Though I know that Draco's fears of harry harming Skylar or me would _never _come true, I can't help but feel relieved at Ginny's answer, and I exhale heavily.

"We thought you'd be a little worried about that," Hermione says knowingly, "but we would have prepared you for that if it were the case; we'd have warned you ahead of time if Harry was going to be here." I nod my head in response, knowing for certain that my friends _would _have warned me if there were anything I should be concerned about.

"Thanks, you two," I reply with a smile. I receive smiles from both of my friends in response, and with this I step forward and open the kitchen door with no apprehension. I can't help but smile in relief and happiness as I step inside the Burrow for the first time in what feels like ages.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: Hi everyone! First off, I'm very sorry for how long it took me to post this chapter, and I will do my best to keep you all from having to wait so long for the next update. <strong>

**Secondly, I found out yesterday that someone had posted the first story of this series, Amortentia and the Imperius Curse, on another website without my permission. The issue _has _been resolved, and this is (to my knowledge) the first time that I have been plagiarized. It was definitely an eye-opening experience. They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but I put quite a bit of work and free time into each chapter, and to have someone try to take credit for that was very upsetting, to say the least. That being said, I'd like to ask all a favor of all of you; my wonderful and loyal readers. If you see my work on another site, _please __let me know_. **

**I apologize for the brief rant, there. I really hope you enjoyed the chapter, and continue to enjoy the series. Thank you all, _so very much, _for continuing to read and review! You are all _amazing! _Please remember to review!**


	6. Chapter 6 The Final Fitting

Ginny, Hermione, Mrs. Weasley and I spend most of the morning in the Burrow's kitchen, sitting around the table and catching up on the details of each other's lives that we've missed. To our immense surprise, Neville arrives shortly before lunch in the hopes of catching up with Ron and Harry, but instead of letting him leave when he realizes his friends aren't here, Mrs. Weasley insists that he stay and have lunch with us. Thrilled at getting to see Neville, also, for the first time in a while, I hug my friend and introduce him to my son; this is Neville's first time seeing Skylar outside my womb as well.

Neville joins the kitchen table chatter as Mrs. Weasley starts preparing lunch, and then the five of us enjoy a scrumptious meal, after which I feed Skylar a bottle. We all protest when Neville says he's leaving a short while later, but he insists that he really must go see Harry and Ron. Before he leaves, however, he asks me to walk outside with him, and I curiously oblige after handing Skylar back over to Mrs. Weasley.

"What's going on, Neville?" I ask when we've reached the garden wall.

"I've wanted to talk to you," he says. "It's about the wedding."

Having a feeling I know where this is going, I can't help but feel disappointed. "You're still coming, aren't you?" I ask hopefully.

"Yeah, of course," he replies, immediately dispersing my feelings of disappointment.

"I was just going to ask if it's alright if I bring someone with me. You know, like a… um…"

His voice trails off and his face turns red, so I finish the statement for him. "A date?" I ask.

Neville nods his head in response, and the look on his face tells me that he was rather nervous about asking this question, which causes a suspicion to creep into my mind. "Neville, do you have a _girlfriend?_" I ask excitedly. The even more violent shade of red that overtakes his cheeks at this question is all the response I need. "You _do?" _I half-state and half-exclaim. "I'm so happy for you!" I continue, "Of _course _you can bring her to the wedding!"

Though still blushing violently, Neville's face stretches into a smile at my response, and he mutters a quick, embarrassed thanks. Immediately afterwards he insists that he's got to get going, and with a hug and a wave goodbye, he disapparates. Excited for my friend and reeling from the bit of news I've just discovered, I walk back into the kitchen and immediately fill Hermione and Ginny in on all the details.

Just as shocked as I was when I found out, the girls are also pleased and filled with enthusiasm. A large part of the rest of our day together is spent in curious contemplation and discussion of who Neville's mystery date could possibly be. After I say goodbye to Mrs. Weasley and hug her, Hermione and Ginny accompany Skylar and me back to Malfoy Manor at around five p.m. They help me get his diaper bag and bassinette inside before giving me a hug and leaving, passing Draco on their way out. Happy to see me smiling so much, Draco gives Skylar and me his ritual back-from-work kiss and asks how our day out was. We have dinner a short while later before going upstairs and retiring for the night.

Friday is a blur of shopping and wedding preparations in Diagon Alley with Narcissa, and by the time we get home both Skylar and I are completely exhausted. On Saturday, Draco and I lounge around the Manor for most of the day, trying to recuperate from a long and stressful week. Sunday passes in a similar manner, but that evening Narcissa tells me something that lets me know that this week will be just as stressful as the last one… if not more so.

"Jayde," she says as the entire family is gathered in the Drawing Room after dinner, "you've got an appointment to get your wedding gown altered tomorrow."

Confused and slightly upset that my day has once again been planned for me without my knowledge, I look up at her with my eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean?" I ask. "It fit fine when I got it."

"I know dear," she says, "but you've probably lost some weight since then… after all, you're not pregnant anymore, you've lost all the extra baby weight you were carrying around. The tailor will probably just need to take it in on the waist an inch or so."

"But I used a disillusionment charm on my baby bump when I tried it on," I reply, still unsure why my dress needs to be altered when I thought it was absolutely perfect when I got it. Thankfully, Narcissa understands my confusion and doesn't get angry at my questions.

"Yes, but it's been quite a while since then," she replies. "I just want to make sure it fits you perfectly on the big day; it'll be your final fitting." At Narcissa's mention of the big day, I suddenly no longer feel upset or confused. I smile as a bubble of excitement and elation seems to form inside me, and I feel Draco place his hand on my knee and squeeze it gently from his position next to me on the sofa. I look to my left at him and smile quickly before returning my attention to Narcissa.

"Unfortunately," she continues, "I've got to see to some Bridal Shower business tomorrow as well, so I won't be able to go to the tailor's with you. But I know it would be too hard for you to try to look after Skylar _and _get the dress altered, so I've arranged for Mary and Martha to go with you."

At this I immediately widen my eyes in dread. I try to hide my reaction from Narcissa, but Draco is a little less conspicuous. Apparently having accidentally swallowed air or something, he starts coughing loudly. Concerned, everyone in the Drawing Room, myself included, eyes him with apprehension, wondering if he needs help… or the Heimlich maneuver. Draco recovers on his own, however, and takes a sip from his nearby glass of water to calm his throat. Once completely better, he gives me a knowing, apologetic look.

"_I'm sorry, love," _he says to me through his thoughts. _"I didn't know she'd done that… she must not realize how worrisome those two can be. I'll talk to her about it." _Though thankful for his offer, I realize that Draco talking to his mother about the situation would only upset her.

"_No, it's okay," _I think to him in response. "_Don't say anything… I can handle those two." _

_"Are you sure, love?" _he asks skeptically.

_"I'm sure," _I reply with a slight nod of my head.

Seeming to know that Draco and I are communicating non-verbally, Narcissa grows curious. "Would you two mind telling us what all this thinking to each other is about?" she asks somewhat playfully. I feel panic sweep over me as I wonder how I should respond to that question, but thankfully Lucius intervenes on our behalf.

"Now Narcissa," he says matter-of-factly, "Draco and Jayde have the love bond for a reason; what gets said between them is private. You wouldn't want to have to tell someone the things we say in private, would you?" Narcissa blushes slightly at this, but doesn't argue.

"Yes, you're right," she says with a smile. "Just forget I asked that."

I breathe a silent sigh of relief at having escaped having to answer that question and lean against Draco's arm and act as though nothing has happened, and all three Malfoys do the same. When Draco and I are lying in bed that night waiting for sleep to come, however, he once again offers to explain the situation to his mother in order to keep me from having to deal with Mary and Martha all day. I assure him that I'll be able to handle the two girls _and _all their giggling tomorrow, and with that the matter is dropped. The two of us drift off then into a peaceful night's rest.

I feel a little less certain about being able to deal with the girls when I wake the next morning, however; Skylar's crying woke Draco and I around two a.m. and the infant practically refused to go back to sleep until around four-thirty, leaving Draco and I both very tired and slightly grumpy. I refuse to complain about this now, though, and don't say anything about it to Draco. I go back upstairs after Draco and Lucius leave for work to get Skylar and myself ready for the trip to Diagon Alley, and Mary and Martha arrive about two hours later, wearing matching pink jumpers and smiling as though this has already been the best day of their lives, and it's still very early in the morning. It takes every ounce of restraint I can muster to keep from laughing at the girls, and thankfully Narcissa walks in right behind them, diffusing the situation.

"Well, I'm off dear," she says as she walks over and pulls me into a hug. "I hope you girls have a wonderful time," she continues, before leaning down to kiss Skylar, who is lying in my arms staring up into the air with widened eyes. With this, Narcissa turns and begins making her way from my and Draco's bedroom. She pauses just before exiting and turns to look at Mary and Martha with raised eyebrows. "Now don't forget girls," she says, "don't let Skylar or Jayde out of your sight. Jayde's going to need all the help she can get with trying to look after Skylar and get fitted for her gown at the same time." The girls immediately nod their heads in agreement and put on an air of importance in response. Seeming satisfied with this, Narcissa smiles at them before turning once more and making her way out of the room.

Immediately after she's exited, I ask Mary and Martha if they're ready to leave in an effort to hurry up and get this day behind me. _The sooner it gets started, the sooner it'll be over_, I tell myself. I walk over to my and Draco's bed to pick up Skylar's diaper bag, but Martha stops me before I can do so. "I'll get that for you, Jayde," she calls, running forward to snatch up the bag before I can manage to put my hands on it. Surprised, I give her a curious look for a moment, but then smile in response.

"That's very nice of you, Martha… Thank you," I reply.

"And I'll get your dress," Mary says sweetly, walking over and carefully taking the plastic-wrapped wedding gown from off the bed as well.

I can't help but smile in response. _Maybe today won't be so bad after all_, I think to myself as I lead the two girls from the room and downstairs with Skylar still resting in my arms.

As soon as we reach the Entrance Hall, Martha rushes forward to open the front door for Mary and I, and I am once again amazed by how helpful the two girls are being. The three of us begin to approach the Manor gates, walking silently down the Yew-hedged walkway, and as soon we pass through them we each disapparate separately, landing in Diagon Alley in front of the clothing store where my final fitting is to take place. I find that Mary and Martha have already landed when I arrive, and they allow me to step ahead of them before following me inside the shop.

As soon as I step inside I feel a sense of panic sweep over me, induced by the state of the shop. There's a multitude of women inside, all busting about frantically. Several women call out to others, asking them for their sizes or what color they prefer. My eyebrows furrow in confusion and I'm completely dumbfounded by the way the women are frantically digging through piles of dresses, undergarments, and accessories. "What's going on?" Mary asks to my immediate right.

"I… I don't know," I respond. "It looks like they've all gone mental!" At this, a grey-haired and rather harassed-looking witch walks past us hurriedly, and Martha calls out to her.

"Excuse me!" she practically yells so as to be heard over the noise.

Seeming startled, the woman turns around and eyes the three of us with incredulity and curiosity. "Can I help you with something?" she asks a moment later.

"Um… yes," I reply. "I _think _I have an appointment…" My voice trails off at this, and the poor witch's eyes widen in shock.

"Merlin! That's right!" she exclaims, dropping the items she's carrying and slapping her face to her forehead. "For the Newsome-Malfoy wedding, isn't it?" she asks with a hint of terror in her voice.

"Yes ma'am," I reply with a slight nod and a smile. At this, the woman looks around at her shop, seeming absolutely horrified, before returning her gaze to me.

"I'm so very sorry," she says frantically, "I'd been so busy that I'd completely forgotten. We're having a one-day clearance sale today, and a lot more women showed up than I expected. They all want to be fitted and have alterations… it's just got me a little behind, that's all."

"It's okay," I reply, suddenly understanding why all the women are so frantic and wild-acting. Ms. Fitzpatrick, my deceased guardian, wasn't much of a shopper, but if she heard the words 'Clearance Sale' she got _very _excited. "If you'll just let me finish up with the customers I'm already helping, I'll get to you just as soon as I possibly can, " the shop owner continues, silently begging me to understand through the desperate look in her eyes.

"Okay," I reply quietly, feeling very sorry for the poor frazzled woman. With this, the shop owner utters a relieved thanks and scoops up the items she'd dropped before continuing what she'd been doing. Wondering how long this will take, I turn around and take one of the empty chairs lined up against the nearby left-side wall, and Mary and Martha follow suit. We sit in silence for a while, simply watching the frantic women scurrying about in search of the perfect dress for their big day, and time seems to pass by at a snail's pace.

Skylar starts to cry as we continue to wait, and I feed him and change his diaper. Before I know it, the clock near the back of the shop is chiming 12 o'clock, alerting me to the fact that Mary, Martha and I have been waiting for nearly an hour and a half. The still-frazzled shop owner runs by a moment later, apologizing many times and assuring me that she'll only be a moment longer. When we're still waiting thirty minutes later, the girls and I realize we're very hungry and tired of sitting here, so we decide to go have lunch in the hopes that the owner will be ready for us when we return. Mary carries my dress over to the shop owner for safekeeping and explains to her that we'll be back shortly before rejoining Martha and me.

The three of us exit the shop hurriedly, happy to be out in the fresh air and away from all that noise and activity. We walk down to the opposite end of Diagon Alley and into a restaurant I've never been in before. The three of us eat a hearty lunch in almost complete silence, after which we reluctantly make our way back down the Alley and towards the shop. I dread going back into the dress shop for fear of what I may find in there, but the moment I step through the door it's obvious to me that there's been a drastic change while Mary, Martha and I were at lunch. The shop is completely empty and silent now, except for the shop owner, who is bent over with her head lying atop her sales counter. She lifts her head and looks up at me weakly as I enter, and I give her what I hope is a reassuring smile in response.

"I am so, _so _very sorry," she says as she pushes herself up into a standing position and begins making her way over to me.

"It's alright," I reply.

"Come on," she says quietly, "let's go get your dress adjusted."


	7. Chapter 7 What Letter?

**Author's Note: Before getting into the drama **(oh yes, there will be drama)** of the newest chapter, I wanted to take a moment to apologize for the _ridiculous _length of time it's taken me to get this posted. I know, I know; I sound like a broken record because I'm _always _apologizing for not getting a chapter up sooner, but I really _do _feel horrible about it. **

**I _do _have quite a few very good excuses, including a family members' hospitalization and _loads _of schoolwork, but nevertheless, from this point forward it is my sincere hope that (barring any freak accidents like those which have occurred lately), I will be able to post chapters more frequently. I'll be getting out of school for the summer in the next 2 weeks; you can expect quite a few updates at that time. **

**I also have a disclaimer about this chapter: _please _don't be angry with Harry** (You'll see what I mean momentarily).** His actions here were necessary in order for the plot to advance in the correct direction; this whole Draco-Jayde-Harry triangle will be resolved soon enough! Again, I'm very sorry for the wait, I hope you enjoy the chapter, thank you _all _for your continued support, and _please _remember to review! **

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><p>At the shop owner's statement I nervously and carefully hand a snoozing Skylar over to Mary, who seems frightened but capable of holding him. I follow the grey-haired shop owner to the dressing room and start peeling off my clothing self-consciously as she removes my wedding gown from its protective plastic bag. When she slides the dress over my head I realize that Narcissa was right to schedule another fitting; the dress is indeed a tiny bit baggy in a few places.<p>

Once the dress is completely on and situated, the shop owner leads me out of the dressing room and over to a pedestal, which she tells me to stand on. I begin to admire my dress in the mirror and feel like a princess. My mind and heart start racing as I realize that very soon I'm going to be a bride; I'll be Draco's _wife _in less than two months. Excitement and nervousness bubble up inside me, and I'm unable to stop an enormous smile from spreading across my face.

Mary and Martha start showering me with compliments about how beautiful the dress is and how wonderful it looks on me. I don't have time to thank the girls for their sweet comments, however, because the seamstress immediately asks me to be completely still as she starts tugging on the fabric in various places. She occasionally makes comments to herself, such as "I'll just take it in a bit here," as she examines the dress carefully.

Compared to how long I've waited for the fitting to start, it takes a relatively short amount of time. When the fitting is finished about fifteen minutes later, I change back into my regular clothes and walk towards the front of the shop to rejoin Mary and Martha while the grey-haired woman hurries over to her work station to make the necessary adjustments.

As I approach the chair I'd been sitting in previously, my eyes wander off to the left at the large bay window, and I immediately feel a sense of shock sweep over me. Out among the other people bustling about in Diagon Alley, my eyes land on a thin boy with messy black hair and glasses. "Harry!" I gasp barely louder than a whisper, surprised at seeing my friend so unexpectedly for the first time in what seems like ages. After all, the last time we spoke was through a letter before Christmas in which I confessed to Harry that I was having Draco's child; a fact I had hidden from him previously. Harry had never responded to my letter, which thoroughly confused and upset me, making me curious as to how he'd reacted to that particular bit of news.

Watching him walk past, I immediately begin to wonder if I should act as though I didn't see Harry or go and speak to him, to try and salvage whatever friendship there might be left between us. I know that Draco wouldn't want me to go and talk to Harry out of fear that he'd upset me, but Harry's my friend and if I've caused him pain, I want to make it right. Though my emotions begin to drift towards panic and I'm afraid that Harry will yell and tell me to go away if he sees me, curiosity overtakes me.

In a spur-of-the-moment decision, I tell Mary to keep an eye on Skylar for me and quickly walk out of the dress shop and into Diagon Alley, running to catch up with Harry's retreating figure. I weave my way through the crowd as quickly as possible, and when I'm close enough to be heard without having to yell, I call out Harry's name cautiously, nervous as to what his reaction will be when he sees that it's me. Therefore, it takes me by complete surprise when Harry stops off to the right side of the Alley, turns around, looks into my eyes, and smiles.

"Hi, Jayde," he says as I take a few steps towards him. "How are you?"

"I'm fine, thanks," I reply, still wondering if he's about to yell at me. "And you?" I ask.

"Good," he replies. "What brings you to Diagon Alley today?"

"I'm getting some last-minute alterations done to my Wedding Gown," I reply. I can't help but notice a slight darkness overtake Harry's eyes for just a moment, and I halfway expect this conversation to take an abrupt turn for the worse, but he quickly recovers.

"I was helping Fred and George at the Joke Shop," he says, "they've been really busy lately."

"Well that's nice of you," I reply, to which Harry chuckles lightly in response. Then, suddenly, he takes on a more serious expression and takes another step closer to me, causing me to fear that he's about to mention my letter. "Look Jayde," he says, "I've wanted to talk to you about that last time I saw you, at the Burrow. It was wrong of me to act the way I did, and I'm sorry. I guess it's still just a little hard for me when I see you with Malfoy."

Though I'm relieved that Harry isn't angry with me anymore, my eyebrows furrow in confusion and I look into his eyes, completely bewildered. _He's wanted to apologize to me… even after he found out about the baby? _I ask myself. I immediately feel as though Harry's apology warrants one from me, but before I can open my mouth to speak I hear someone calling my name from a short distance behind me.

"Oh, _there _she is… Jayde!" Mary calls. Startled and admittedly annoyed, I turn to seek her out from the crowd. When I hear Skylar crying, however, all sense of annoyance fades away and I completely forget about Harry for the moment. I extend my arms to take Skylar from Mary as she approaches with a wild look in her eyes. "He woke up and started screaming, and I couldn't make him stop!" she explains as she lays the infant in my arms.

I immediately press the baby up against my shoulder and start shushing him, patting him on the back in an effort to calm him. It works; the tiny tot falls silent almost immediately. "Should we take him to St. Mungo's?" a frightened Mary asks.

"Oh for Merlin's sake, Mary!" I reply, "He's probably just grumpy because he just woke up!"

"Right," she says quietly. "I'm sorry."

"No, it's alright," I reply. "I shouldn't have left him with you like that."

Mary's face falls at this statement for some reason, and she looks down at the ground in shame. At this point, I turn to the right slightly, readjusting Skylar in my arms. It's then that I see Harry's shape out of the corner of my eye and remember that we were in the middle of a conversation. I look up at Harry for the first time in a few moments as I continue to soothe Skylar, and I'm surprised when I find a look that's a combination of pure hatred and fury on his face.

"Harry what's wrong?" I ask, startled by his demeanor. When he doesn't answer, I realize how rude I've been; Skylar's lying in my arms, but I haven't introduced him yet… of _course _that would upset Harry! _He probably thinks I'm afraid to let him get too close to Skylar_, I tell myself. Trying to ease the situation, I smile and take a step forward. "Harry," I say quietly with a smile, "I'd like you to meet my son, Skylar."

At this, I lower my baby-laden arms slightly, allowing Harry to get a better look at the child. Instead of seeming more at ease, however, Harry now seems even _more _upset than before. "That child looks an _awful _lot like _Malfoy_," he says through gritted teeth.

Perplexed, I look into Harry's eyes for a moment before responding, thinking that perhaps seeing Skylar is a bit much for him right now, especially considering how much he looks like Draco. "Yeah, he does look _just like _his father," I reply, to which Harry scoffs in response.

"His father? His FATHER?" he asks, clearly incensed.

"Y… yes, Harry," I reply, starting to get a little worried. "What's gotten into you?" _After all, _I think to myself, _we've been standing here talking for quite a few moments… why would Harry wait until now to get so angry? _

"Oh, I don't know," he says sarcastically, answering my question. "Maybe it's because I've found out that all the rumors I heard were true, or it could be that I've found out that my friends have all been lying to me."

"Harry, I don't understand," I reply. "I _told _you about this. I'll admit I didn't tell you when I should have, and I understand why you'd be angry with me for waiting so long, but I _did _tell you. Why are you acting as though you didn't know this?"

"Oh you told me, did you?" Harry snaps in response, to which I nod my head in agreement.

"I sent you that letter, Harry!" I reply. "Didn't you read it?"

"What letter?" Harry asks heatedly.

"_What letter_?" I ask in confusion. "What do you mean, '_what letter_'? _The letter I sent you before Christmas_!_ The one Ginny laid on your bed at the Burrow!_"

"I haven't gotten _any _letter from you," Harry replies, implying through his tone that he doesn't believe me.

"But Ginny _told_ me that you got it!" I insist. When my insistence doesn't change the look of disbelief on Harry's face, I come to a shocking and heart-breaking realization. Ginny told me that Harry's letter had arrived, and that she'd put it on his bed. Judging by how upset Harry is right now, however, he clearly never got it. And that can only mean one thing: Ginny _lied._

I feel tears of hurt welling up in my eyes as I continue to gaze in Harry's direction in horror, being so caught up in my thoughts that I see _nothing_, though my eyes are wide open. My entire world seems to start spinning and disbelief sets in. _No, _I tell myself, _Ginny wouldn't do that; she'd never betray me like that. _

_But she did; she must have_, my inner voice argues. _She must have taken the letter and hidden it somewhere, she's in love with Harry... she must have thought she was protecting his feelings by doing this. _

_No! _The hopeful part of me responds. _Ginny would know how horrible it would be if I just walked up to Harry with Skylar in my arms, thinking he knew. She wouldn't put me through that. _

_Take a look around, Jayde! _my inner voice says. _That's _exactly_ what she's done!_

At this point I decide that I can't continue this inner battle over whether or not it's true that Ginny betrayed me, partially because it's too painful and partially because I _know _it's true. Pulling my mind back to the awful situation I've found myself in, I once again focus on Harry's angry expression as tears start flowing from my eyes. Not having the slightest idea what to say or where to start, I just open my mouth and start speaking.

"H – Harry, I'm _so _sorry that you had to find out like this," I begin, barely louder than a whisper in my nervous, shocked, and frightened state. "I swear to Merlin," I continue, "I thought you knew. Ginny – she told me you got my letter." At this point I find myself incapable of speaking anymore; I'm too emotional. My shoulders begin to shake with heavy sobs and I find it hard to see through my tear-filled blurry eyes. Mary, who has been watching the proceedings in silence, chooses now to remind me of her presence.

"Jayde, are you all right?" she asks, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder. Still sobbing, I merely nod my head in response. "Forgive me if I'm out of line," she continues apprehensively, "but I think we should leave. Draco wouldn't want you getting upset like this… and people are starting to stare."

Though I can't make out the faces of any on-lookers as my vision is still blurred by tears, a quick glance around me confirms that the forms of several passers-by have now stopped to observe my and Harry's conversation. Since I'll be a Malfoy soon, I know that I've got to leave, to keep up appearances. After all, I wouldn't want to cause a scandal for my new family, _especially _not before Draco and I are even married. And someone running and telling the _Daily Prophet _that I was having an argument with Harry Potter, _in public_, would _certainly _cause a ruckus.

"You're… you're right," I whisper to Mary in response. My companion breathes a sigh of relief at this, and though I feel horrible about it, I slowly begin to turn away from Harry. Before I can even take _one _step away from him, however, he speaks, causing me to stop dead in my tracks.

"How old is he?" Harry calls angrily from behind me. Flustered, I look to my left at Mary, hoping for some sort of indication as to how I should answer Harry's question.

"Don't worry about it," she says meaningfully. "Let's just get out of here." Having said this, she places a reassuring hand on my back and encourages me to just walk away, gently guiding me with her hand.

"I ASKED YOU HOW OLD HE IS!" Harry yells only seconds later, causing me to jump involuntarily at the volume with which he's speaking. Seeming to sense my fright, Skylar starts wailing again from his place nestled in my arms. Forcing myself to stop crying and blinking away the remainder of my tears, I immediately start trying to calm the infant. When he's stopped crying I turn around to face Harry, realizing that he's not going to stop yelling until I answer him.

"He's… he's almost two months," I reply quietly. "Why do you ask?" Harry doesn't answer me at first; he seems to be in deep thought about something. Then he looks down at his fingers and appears to be counting, and I automatically know what he's doing; he's trying to figure out when I got pregnant. _Why _he's trying to figure that out, I'm not sure, but I'm positive that's why he's counting. Deciding to spare him the trouble, I speak up. "I got pregnant on the night of the Valentine's Day Ball, if that's what you're trying to figure out," I inform him.

At my statement, Harry looks up at me with malice in his eyes. "So that's where you went, then, the night you were supposed to be _my_ date? You ran off without telling me anything so you could go _sleep_ with _him?" _Embarrassed, I look down at the cobblestone street of Diagon Alley, unable to meet Harry's eyes. Of course _I _know that's not what happened… but to tell _Harry_ that Voldemort had Draco's parents jinx us is unfathomable, _especially _here in the center of the wizard world's commercial capital.

I finally find my voice a moment later, look up at Harry once more, and choose my words carefully. "Harry, I don't expect you to understand…" I begin, but he interrupts.

"Oh I understand _perfectly_," he says darkly. "You're a bloody slag!"

I feel my cheeks flush at this and my gaze returns to the street beneath my feet once more. Mary, who has stayed by my side loyally throughout this ordeal, lets out a loud gasp at Harry's statement before running swiftly away, apparently too embarrassed to remain here any longer. I can't help but feel a bit abandoned as I continue to stare at the street in shame, and an eerie silence passes between Harry and me. A moment later, however, Martha appears at my side, placing a firm hand on my shoulder.

"Come on, Jayde," she says, "we need to get you home." Without looking up, I nod my head in agreement with her statement. Harry has something to say about this once again, however.

"She's not going _anywhere _until I've finished talking to her!" he says furiously.

Embarrassed, frustrated, and upset, among other things, I let out a sigh of exasperation and look up at him pleadingly. "Harry_, w_hat more could you _possibly _want to know?" I ask.

"I want to know _why_," he says irately.

"_Why?" _I ask, bewildered. "What do you mean, '_why'?_ Why _what?" _

"Why you left _me _that night to go be with _him," he _explains_. "_Why you chose _him_ over _me, _when I'd been _nothing _but kind to you. I want an _explanation_… _you owe me that much_."

"No, Potter, she doesn't owe you _anything_," an angry voice says suddenly from behind me, thoroughly surprising me. Turning on my heel at once, I find a concerned-looking Mary standing next to an _infuriated_ Draco; apparently Mary ran off earlier to go to the Ministry and get my fiancé.

Though I feel somewhat relieved now with Draco here and I'd seriously love to run up to him and fling my arms around him, his appearance keeps me from doing so. I've seen Draco _angry,_ and even _furious_before, but this is _beyond_ anger, _beyond _fury. If it were possible for looks to kill, Harry would certainly have been dead the moment Draco landed in Diagon Alley. Draco is so angry, in fact, that he's not even bothering to scowl or frown; his face is set in a cold, emotionless stare directed at Harry.

Looking at my fiancé with apprehension, I can't fight the feeling that whatever's about to happen will _not _end well; this is _not _going to be good.


	8. Chapter 8 The Final Showdown

A moment of still, intense silence passes between Draco, Harry and I, with Draco looking past me directly at Harry. The way he continues to stare darkly with that cold, emotionless expression on his face is terrifying; a sense of foreboding sweeps over me and I immediately realize I've got to do everything I can to get Draco away from Harry right now… otherwise there's no telling what he might do. My heartbeat and breathing seem to have stopped in my state of panic as I stare at my fiancé warily, trying to decide how to appease the situation. Suddenly, Harry decides to break the awkward silence.

"You!" he says venomously, his voice sounding ten times louder than what it actually is because of the complete silence that preceded it. His voice shocks me so badly that I turn on my heel to look at him almost involuntarily. What I find when I turn around to look at Harry is nearly as frightening as what I saw in Draco's face just a few seconds ago; Harry's face is a violent shade of red and he's breathing heavily.

Seeming to have been called out of his fury-induced trance by the sudden eruption of Harry's voice, Draco slowly walks up on my left side, his hands in his pockets and a serious expression on his face. As he walks, his steps are slow and pronounced; each drop of his foot sounds loud and purposeful on the cobblestone street. He stops a pace ahead of me before turning at a forty-five degree angle, allowing him to see my face while still maintaining an open position, refusing to turn his back on Harry and give him the chance to attack. Looking at me with a sense of finality in his eyes, he speaks softly, just barely able to keep the anger from showing in his voice. Whether that anger is directed at me, Harry, or a combination of the two, I'm not sure.

"I'm pretty sure I already know what this is about," he says, casting a second-long glance at our son in my arms, "but why don't you tell me exactly what's going on here, love?"

Forcing my nerves away with a gulp, I begin to think back to the answer to Draco's question; the utter betrayal that's caused this horrifying scene. "She… she lied, Draco. Ginny lied," I say quietly, unable to keep my voice from wavering due to the tears that are rapidly forming in the corners of my eyes. I watch as Draco's eyebrows furrow slightly, indicating his confusion.

"She lied about _what_?" he asks in a puzzled tone.

"The- the letter," I reply. "She told me Harry had gotten my letter, but…" my voice trails off here as the tears finally begin to make their way from my eyes once more. At this, a look of understanding sets in on Draco's face, and he closes his eyes and exhales deeply in realization.

Opening his eyes, he says, "So you walked up to talk to Potter with Skylar in your arms, thinking he already knew, and he pretty much went mental." The way he expresses this sentence as a statement and not a question tells me he's already certain that this is what happened.

"Mhmm," I mumble weakly with a slight nod of my head.

"I see," Draco replies solemnly, answering my nod with one of his own. Then, appearing to have made up his mind about something, he continues. "Darling," he begins, casting me a weak smile, "Why don't you take Skylar home? Mary and Martha will go with you; I'll be along shortly."

Though Draco didn't issue a threat in his statement, I know _exactly _why he plans on remaining at Diagon Alley; I gasp and my eyes widen in fear. "No, Draco," I plead, "_Please _don't…"

"I just want to have a talk with Potter, love, that's all," he replies, and though he dons a reassuring smile in hopes of easing my fears, it doesn't fool me.

"No, Draco… you're going to kill him," I reply, crying even more fervently now.

"Killing Potter would only land me in Azkaban," he replies as he touches my cheek comfortingly, "and that would mean I couldn't see you or our son. Potter isn't worth that… so I'm notgoing to _kill_ him. Now, _injuring _him, on the other hand... _that_ I just might do."

I can't help but feel even _more _frightened at Draco's statement, and my mind starts racing with ways to convince Draco to just let it go. "Draco, _please_…" I begin, but my fiancé interrupts.

"He's crossed the line this time, Jayde… you know that, don't you?" he asks, eyeing me intently.

"It's not his fault!" I reply quickly, "I should have told him about Skylar from the beginning; I won't have you hurt him over something _I _did! If you want me to go home, fine… but only if you'll come _with_ me. I can't let you hurt him; I can't leave when I know the two of you are going to fight."

Though Draco clearly doesn't want me to stay, one look into my eyes tells him just how serious I am about this. Going pale in the face and looking as though he's just swallowed a spoonful of a nasty potion, he tries bargaining with me. "What if I _promise _to just _talk _to him?" he asks.

"If you're just going to be talking to him, there's no reason why I can't stay," I reply. With a sigh and a look of resignation on his face, Draco realizes that I _won't_ change my mind and pinches the bridge of his nose between his thumb and middle finger in frustration.

Finally, a moment later, he lowers his hand and quietly says, "Pinky".

The house elf immediately appears at his feet with a _Pop_ and responds; "Yes, Master Draco?" she asks helpfully.

"You're to escort Mary and Martha back to Malfoy Manor; they'll be taking Skylar home," Draco orders. "Once you get there, you will see to it that Skylar is taken care of until Jayde and I arrive." When he's finished speaking, Draco looks up at me for approval, and I nod my head in response.

Immediately, Mary walks over to my right side, and I carefully extend my hands and ease the child into her waiting arms. A tension-filled silence passes between Harry, Draco and me as Mary, Martha, and Pinky prepare to apparate. Although the normal hustle and bustle noises of Diagon Alley continue around us, they're somewhat subdued because several people are still paused, staring at the three of us, wondering what's going on and what's about to happen. I cast a last, worried glance at my son lying in Mary's arms; I feel concerned leaving him to Mary and Martha's care, but feel a sense of comfort knowing that Pinky is accompanying the girls and won't let anything happen to Skylar. Placing a tiny hand on Mary and Martha's garments, the house elf disapparates, pulling both girls and Skylar along with her.

Draco, clearly still hoping to change my mind about staying here, places a gentle hand on my shoulder as soon as Pinky and her companions are gone. "Darling, _please," _he says quietly with concern dripping from every syllable. "Go home." Turning my head to the left to look at him, my heart breaks at the worry lines marring his handsome face. I know he's only asking this for my safety, and it makes me feel horrible to refuse, but I know that nothing will prevent Draco from seriously hurting Harry if I leave; or vice versa. I consider pleading with Draco again to come home _with _me, but I know this would be futile; he's far too upset. I'm actually a bit surprised that he hasn't _already _given up on his quarrel with Harry and come home with me, if only to ensure my safety. I realize, however, that this is a testament to just _how _upset he really is.

Still looking into my fiancé's worried eyes, I finally find the words to respond with. "Draco, you _know _I can't leave," I finally reply sympathetically, trying to convey through my tone and expression how sorry I am for causing him so much grief. I feel horrible and realize this situation is entirely _my _fault.

_If only I hadn't come out of the tailor's shop to try and mend things with Harry! _ I think to myself. Thinking back to the moment I made the decision that led to this causes me to feel a sense of surrealism, realizing that just a short while ago my only worry was how long I'd have to wait for my wedding gown to be altered. Harry's voice interrupts my thoughts, however, reminding me of my current worries as he calls out to Draco menacingly.

"All right Malfoy, you've had enough time," he says. I see Draco's jaw become firm and set at Harry's words, but he still seems a bit hesitant to begin this discussion; a part of me knows this is because I'm still here. Seeming to mistake Draco's hesitation for cowardice rather than concern, Harry lets out a frustrated sigh and looks at me with malice. "_This _is what you chose over me?" he asks incredulously, "This _coward?" _

One look at Draco tells me he's now fighting even harder to control his temper, and he exhales deeply. "This isn't the place for this discussion, Potter," he says through gritted teeth. "Perhaps we should continue in a more private location."

"Why?" Harry asks sarcastically. "So your_ precious _family name and reputation won't be scarred? No, I think this is the _perfect _place... so everyone can see how manipulative and backwards your whole family is. We'll continue this discussion _right here._"

"To hell with my family name and reputation," Draco replies, "I just won't have you embarrassing Jayde in front of an alley full of people any more than you already have. It'll only lead to her getting upset and losing control of her powers. As selfish as you are, I don't think _even you _want to see that happen."

I can't help but feel slightly embarrassed at this statement and my cheeks flush. I realize Draco didn't mean anything negative by his statement, but I still feel like a bit of a burden. Embarrassing or not, though, Draco's words seem to have had some sort of impact on Harry. "Fine," he replies a moment later, "we'll go to the Burrow. That way I can fuss out everyone who's been hiding this from me at the exact same time."

With that, Harry disapparates, causing a roar of murmurs to strike up in the alley in his wake. Looking back at me urgently, Draco pleads with me once again. "For what it's worth, love," he says, "I really wish you'd go home." Then he walks over to where I'm standing and plants a gentle kiss on my forehead before disapparating himself. The noise of spectators mumbling can be heard once again upon Draco's departure, and I feel the eyes of many people looking at me from various directions. Taking a deep breath and preparing myself for the storm that I know is rapidly approaching, I close my eyes and disapparate, setting my course for the Burrow as well, despite Draco's plea.

When I land in the field just a short distance from the Weasley's kitchen door, I find Draco and Harry directly in front of me, standing a short distance apart, clearly not having wasted any time with continuing their 'discussion'. "There now, are you happy?" Harry asks immediately after I land, "We got out of the alley to make sure nobody would know how much of a slag your girlfriend is."

Suddenly, as though he's a flammable substance that's just met a flame, Draco explodes. "All right Potter, that's it!" he bellows, his face turning a violent shade of red and a vein bulging on his neck as he starts walking toward Harry in a fit of rage. "Don't speak _another word_ to her _or _about her," he continues, grabbing Harry by the collar of his shirt and pushing him up against the Burrow's outer wall.

"Draco stop it! STOP!" I cry to no avail as I rush forward and try to separate the boys by prying Draco's hands from Harry's collar. Draco's grip is too firm, however, and I realize that all my attempts are futile.

"This is between you and me, so any questions you have should be directed at me," Draco says, completely ignoring my pleas and continuing his statement as though he'd never been interrupted at all.

"Good!" Harry replies with a smirk, not seeming to mind that Draco's manhandling him. "Here's one: You just couldn't wait to get your filthy hands on her the moment you realized I liked her, could you?"

"What?" Draco half-asks, half-exclaims, completely confused as to what Harry means.

"You just couldn't leave well enough alone and let me have her." Harry clarifies. Then, answering himself, he continues. "No; you had to go and _ruin _her. Had to go and knock her up to make sure she couldn't get away from you… you knew that was the only way you could keep her." I gasp at Harry's hurtful reference to me as '_ruined'_, but the argument continues as though I'm not there, and I keep listening to the conversation.

"First of all, Potter," Draco replies heatedly through gritted teeth, "She's not an _object_… I haven't taken _anything _from you. She's a person and she can make up her own mind. The problem here is that you can't stand knowing that she _chose _to be with me instead of you. Famous Harry Potter… so sheltered his whole life that he can't handle rejection."

"_Draco_!" I exclaim with a gasp, admittedly feeling a bit sorry for Harry at this particular moment. Draco ignores me once again, however, and continues his verbal attack.

"Secondly," he says, practically yelling now, "Are you implying that I got Jayde pregnant on purpose, just so she'd be with me instead of you?"

"That's _exactly _what I'm implying," Harry retorts, matching the volume in Draco's voice. "I certainly don't put it past you."

"Well then you obviously don't know me as well as you think you do, Potter," Draco replies, "but let me assure you… Jayde and I would still be together right now, would still be getting married, even if we _didn't _have a son."

"Well we'll never know that now, will we Malfoy?" Harry asks nastily. "All it took was that _one_ time of you two being together, and that sealed her as your property... she can't get away from you now even if she wants to."

Though I expect Draco to be upset about and argue _several _points Harry's just made in his response, the argument he actually chooses to make is completely unexpected. "You really think that's the only time we've been together?" he asks, unable to hide the sarcasm in his voice. Harry's face flushes at this statement and appears to be deep in thought for a moment; it seems as though Harry hasn't actually considered the possibility that I've _chosen _to be with Draco before this moment. And though Harry's face is a brilliant shade of red, I'm positive my face is flushing even more; I'm now _completely _embarrassed, even though there's nobody around to hear this conversation except for myself. I know that Draco is very upset and frustrated and trying to explain things to Harry, but I still can't believe what he's just said. Unable to recuperate from his shock, Harry opens and closes his mouth a few times, though no words make their way out, and I also have a hard time expressing myself at this particular moment.

"D- _Draco!" _I say barely louder than a whisper, unable to use my voice at a higher volume and staring at him with my eyes wide with incredulity. The slightest twinge of regret appears on Draco's face for only a moment at the sound of disbelief in my voice, but he quickly recovers.

"I'm sorry," he replies, speaking to me while still staring at Harry intently, "but he needs to hear it. He needs to know this isn't just some relationship of convenience, and it's not just my way of taking responsibility for getting you pregnant." Draco pauses for a moment, and switches back from apologizing to me to arguing with Harry when he continues. "It's time for you to get over your silly little schoolboy obsession with _MY_ _fiancé_," he says in an almost-growl. "She's _never _going to be with you... she _never _liked you, so you can get all those hopeful little dreams of her leaving me _out _of your head! You can stop thinking that she just fell prey to my evil little trap and wound up pregnant with my child... no matter what _you _think I didn't _seduce_ her _one_ time to get her pregnant. We've been intimate since then... _no_ _seduction required_, and I can assure you she enjoyed every minute of it. You see, Potter, that's what people do _when they're in love,_ and that should tell you something... contrary to what _you _think and how the _rest _of the wizard world _acts, my life doesn't revolve around you_. Jayde and I are together because we _want _to be, not because I was trying to keep her from you. She _chose_ me because _she loves me_, not because I got her pregnant."

"Well if she loves you so bloody much, why did she hide her pregnancy? Why was she so embarrassed to be having your child?" Harry retorts, grasping for straws and finally seeming to have found his voice.

"She wasn't embarrassed to be having my child!" Draco growls. "She was trying to protect _your feelings_! She was _so afraid_ she'd upset you and lose you as a friend!"

These words seem to have an effect on Harry, and he looks away from Draco for a moment and casts a curious look in my direction. He stares at me for a moment, and then speaks. "Is… is that true, Jayde?" he asks, seeming puzzled.

I open my mouth to respond, to assure Harry that the only reason he didn't know about Skylar _was _because I didn't want to hurt him, but Draco jerks Harry's collar, distracting both myself and Harry.

"I _told _you not to speak to her again, didn't I?" Draco asks furiously. Before Harry gets a chance to answer, however, the door to the kitchen of the Burrow opens, revealing Ron, Hermione and Ginny standing behind a wide-eyed and concerned-looking Mrs. Weasley.

Harry and Draco freeze with Draco still having Harry pushed up against the Burrow's wall, and they fall silent and turn to look at the door. As a look of bewilderment sets in on three of the observing newcomers' faces, a look of terror sets in on the fourth. My eyes focus in on Ginny's, and hers widen in response. It's evident in her expression that Ginny realizes what's happened, and knows that her lie has been discovered. Seeing this expression on Ginny's face somehow makes the situation seem more real to me, and for the first time since realizing that she lied to me, anger, rather than hurt, creeps through me and turns my cheeks a deep red color as I momentarily forget all about the dueling duo standing next to me and focus on the betrayal that caused this catastrophe in the first place.

"How could you do this, Ginny?" I ask, surprised at the level of anger displayed in my tone. An expectant silence follows as all heads turn towards her, and the entire group awaits Ginny's answer with furrowed eyebrows.


	9. Chapter 9 Explaining

**Author's Note: Hello everyone! Before getting into the content of the newest chapter, I just wanted to take the time to thank each and every one you, my faithful readers and reviewers, and apologize for (once again) taking so long to get this chapter up. In this chapter we will finally have some resolution to the big 'Harry' problem (Sorry for the bad pun, I had to!). I hope you all enjoy it and _please _remember to review!**

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><p>Finally peeling her curious eyes away from her daughter's terrified face and trying to ease the dramatic situation that's <em>literally <em>just appeared at her front door, Mrs. Weasley steps out of the Burrow's kitchen doorway and walks over to Draco, whose hands are still clutching the collar of Harry's shirt fiercely. "You're at _my _house now, Draco Malfoy," Mrs. Weasley says sternly with a hand on her hip. "Let Harry go."

Draco obeys immediately as a caught-with-his-hand-in-the-cookie-jar look spreads across his face. Glad to be free from Draco's death-grip, Harry shrugs his shoulders and straightens his shirt, all while still casting murderous glances at Draco.

"Now," Mrs. Weasley continues, her curly red hair waving threateningly in the cold breeze, "I want someone to explain to me exactly what's going on here and why the two of you decided to bring this fight to my doorstep."

"You've all been lying to me, _that's _what's going on!" Harry snaps. "Jayde was _pregnant_ with Malfoy's child! _They have a son! _And _not one _of you saw fit to tell me!"

"First of all, Harry James Potter," Mrs. Weasley interrupts firmly, "I won't be called a liar in my own home."

Seeming embarrassed, Harry's face flushes and he looks down at the ground in shame before muttering a quick and bitter, "I'm sorry."

Ignoring this, Mrs. Weasley continues. "Secondly," she says, "that wasn't _our_ secret to tell; whether or not to tell you was Jayde's decision, and we couldn't do anything but respect her wishes." At this, Harry looks up at me with hatred, but Mrs. Weasley immediately scolds him for it. "Don't look at her like that," she says. "Has the thought occurred to you, Harry, that Jayde didn't tell you because she knew you'd react this way? Because she knows you get upset very easily?"

Harry's eyebrows furrow at this, and he casts sideways glances at each of the newcomers. Everyone except for Mrs. Weasley, including Ron, looks away uncomfortably, trying to avoid Harry's questioning gaze. Draco, however, is staring straight at Harry bluntly, wearing an expression that practically _screams_ "I told you so." Thankfully, however, Harry nor Mrs. Weasley notices this, and Mrs. Weasley continues.

"Jayde," she says, addressing me for the first time, "Hermione told me you'd decided to tell Harry… she said you were going to send him a letter. What happened to that?"

"I _did _send him a letter, Mrs. Weasley," I reply, feeling anger and hurt build up inside of me once more. "He never got it." At this, I cast a particularly nasty look in Ginny's direction, and she gulps loudly in response.

"What do you mean, 'he never got it', and why do you keep looking at Ginny like that? What's she got to do with all this?" Mrs. Weasley asks. I look up at her respectfully in response, but find that she's casting a threatening look at Ginny instead of me, as though daring her daughter to have had any part in causing this blowup between Draco and Harry. Although I'm _very _upset at Ginny right now, I'm still her friend and I don't want to get her in trouble. I hesitate before answering, which causes Mrs. Weasley to turn her eyes back on me and ask impatiently, "Well?"

Feeling like a tattle-tell and giving Ginny a momentary apologetic look, I take a deep breath before beginning. "After I sent the letter," I start slowly, trying to stay calm, "Ginny told me that the owl had arrived for Harry just after he left to go help Fred and George in the joke shop. She said she'd taken the letter from the owl and laid it on Ron's bed, where Harry was sure to get it."

"That's right, Mrs. Weasley," Hermione speaks up, verifying my story while giving Ginny a curious look.

"Well what's the problem then?" Mrs. Weasley asks, not quite grasping what happened just yet.

"There was never any letter on my bed for Harry," Ron says with bewilderment.

"Exactly," I reply, giving him a meaningful look. Ron still seems confused at this, but Hermione gasps loudly, indicating she understands, and she and Harry eye Ginny with an extreme amount of intensity. Mrs. Weasley, however, is beyond the point of casting intense glances.

"_GINEVRA MOLLY WEASLEY!_" she bellows, her face turning almost as red as her hair. She pauses in shock for a moment before continuing at the same volume. "You _lied_ to Jayde and _took_ Harry's letter, didn't you?" she asks. Seeming to think this a rhetorical question, Ginny doesn't answer and simply stares forward blankly with her jaw set and tears quickly building up in the corners of her eyes. "Answer me!" Mrs. Weasley yells a moment later.

Startled, Ginny jerks out of her trance-like state and answers "Yes" quickly and quietly.

"_How_ could you do such a thing?" her mother probes. "_Why_ would you do something like this?"

"Because she likes Potter!" Draco replies loudly, drawing everyone's attention and causing me to gasp loudly in response to his boldness.

"Draco!" I say meaningfully, casting him a look that clearly tells him I can't believe he's just said that.

Ginny, feeling betrayed, looks at me in an accusatory way. "Jayde!" she exclaims, clearly mortified.

"What?" I call in response. "_I _didn't tell him!"

"You didn't have to!" Draco interjects. "It's obvious! I'm sure half the people here knew it all ready! Why else would she take the letter?"

"Wait. _Ginny_ likes _Harry_?" Ron asks, clearly confused and slightly disgusted.

Shaking their heads at Ron's snail-like slowness in catching on, nobody answers him. Instead, Mrs. Weasley addresses Draco. "Obvious or not, why would Ginny's crush on Harry make her do this?" she asks, her eyebrows furrowed in curiosity.

"Because she was trying to protect him!" he replies immediately. "_Ginny's_ trying to protect Potter because she likes him, _Jayde's_ trying to protect Potter because she's afraid of losing him as a friend, _everyone else_ tries to protect Potter because they don't want to hurt him and they think he's too fragile… does anyone _else_ see a pattern here?" Draco pauses for a moment here, but then continues. "I am _so _tired of everyone trying to protect Potter all the time!" he says. "Trying to protect him only ends up hurting the people who were trying to protect him, and I'm tired of seeing Jayde upset because of _him. _Maybe if people would let Potter deal with his own problems, he wouldn't act like such a spoiled arsehole!"

My mouth drops open wide in response to Draco's statement, but before I can speak, Mrs. Weasley does. "That's quite enough!" she says sternly. "Calling people arseholes… are you a father, or a five-year-old?"

My eyes widen in response to Mrs. Weasley's question, and I'm afraid that Draco's going to react horribly… I know he _surely _doesn't like what's just been said to him. Before anyone else can speak, though, Ron chimes in. "Malfoy, you're practically the _King _of spoiled arseholes," he accuses angrily. "You've got no room to talk."

Quickly becoming even _more _furious, Draco opens his mouth to respond, but Ginny speaks for the first time, preventing him from doing so. "Not anymore he's not," she says quietly. "Draco's changed a lot since he met Jayde, and since Skylar was born."

At this point, I have to fight the urge to run forward and hug Ginny, and when Hermione nods her head in silent agreement, my eyes quickly fill with tears. Mrs. Weasley seems unaffected by this statement, however, and feels the need to continue her interrogation of Ginny. "Speaking of Skylar being born," she says sarcastically with her hands on her hips once more, "_where _is Harry's letter?"

"It's- it's in my room," Ginny replies quietly, unable to meet her mother's piercing gaze.

"Well don't you think it's about time Harry got it?" Mrs. Weasley retorts loudly. Without answering, Ginny quickly turns on her heel and heads through the Burrow's kitchen door, letting it slam closed behind her. As the rest of us wait for Ginny to return in an awkward silence, I try to remember exactly what I'd written in the letter. I find that to be a difficult task, however, because it was written such a long time ago. Ginny bounds through the kitchen door only seconds later and extends her left arm towards her mother, trying to hand her the letter.

"It isn't _my _letter!" Mrs. Weasley says, refusing to take the envelope from Ginny's hand. "_You _took Harry's letter, now _you're_ going to see to it that he gets it," she continues. Seeming embarrassed, Ginny's face flushes at this, but she doesn't hesitate to walk over to where Harry's standing and extend her arm.

"I'm- I'm really sorry, Harry," she says quietly, looking down at the ground as he takes the envelope from her. When Harry doesn't respond to Ginny's apology, her face flushes even more and she walks off silently to stand beside Hermione.

As Harry begins tearing open the envelope's seal, I start to feel quite a bit nervous, though I'm unsure as to why that is. Seeming to sense my uneasiness as he always does, Draco walks over to stand beside me on my right side and wraps his left arm around my waist in a comforting way as everyone watches Harry abandon the envelope on the ground and open the letter slowly. As Harry slowly starts to scan the parchment, I look at his face, hoping to be able to gauge his reaction to the words I've all but forgotten. I halfway expect to see anger flare on his face once more, but his face softens instead.

After reading and looking at the page intently for a moment, Harry looks up, staring me directly in the eyes. "You _really _love him, don't you?" he asks, his eyebrows furrowed.

Though I'm a bit taken aback by his question, I answer nonetheless. "Yes, Harry… I _do_," I say quietly.

Though he doesn't verbally respond to this, Harry nods his head slowly, seeming to have finally realized something that he's been trying to deny all along. "And you, Malfoy," he says suddenly a moment later, turning his gaze to Draco. "Do you…?"

Draco interrupts Harry at this point, seeming to know what's coming. "If you're going to ask me if I _really _love my wife, Potter, the answer is _yes_," he says firmly. At Draco's reference to me as his wife, I feel my face flush, as it always does. I look up and to the right at him, trying to show him the elation I feel at the thought of being his wife, but find that he's still staring at Harry intently.

I direct my attention towards Harry as well, and find that he's looking at me once again. "And you're – you're _happy_?" he asks once my eyes lock with his.

Unable to prevent myself from smiling slightly in response, I nod my head before replying simply and meaningfully, "Yes."

Nodding his head slightly, Harry looks down and takes a deep breath for continuing. "I've been acting horribly," he says quietly before looking up at me once more. "I thought there was _no way _you wanted to be with Malfoy… I thought he'd tricked you somehow. Maybe that was just wishful thinking. I only wanted what was best for you… but now I can see that you already have it."

My heart swells at Harry's statement, but the look on his face prevents me from being joyous despite the huge step that's just been made towards resolving this conflict. Looking like he's just lost his best friend, Harry quietly says, "I promise you, from this moment on I won't try to interfere anymore… I won't bother you ever again."

I feel Draco breathe a quiet sigh of relief at this, but I feel anything but relief right now. I start to step out of Draco's hold on my waist, but he tightens his grip, causing me to turn and look him in the eyes. _No, darling,_ he says to me through his mind. _Don't go over there just now. _

_Draco, he's hurting_, I reply. _I want him to know that I still want to be his friend. _

_Love, I'm sorry to say it, _Draco answers, _but there's no way you and Potter are coming out of this situation as friends. 'Just being friends' isn't going to be enough for him... _

_How do you know? _I interrupt.

_Because it wouldn't be enough for _me, he replies.

Shocked almost to tears by Draco's empathy for Harry, I look away momentarily but still refuse to give up. Gathering my resolve, I turn to face Harry once more. _I have to at least try_, I think to Draco as I make my way to where Harry's standing a short distance away, staring at the ground.

Harry looks up once I pause in front of him, and although my mind is racing with phrases that I hope might save our friendship, none of them make their way out of my mouth. Instead, I lean forward and pull Harry into a gentle hug; the first I've given him in a long time. Harry seems taken aback at first, but slowly wraps his arms around me in response. "What's this for?" he asks in my ear quietly.

"I still want to be your friend, Harry," I respond. I wait for a moment, expecting Harry to say something in response. When he doesn't, I pull away from him slowly and look into his eyes. "Is that possible?" I ask, my eyebrows furrowed with worry at what his response will be.

Though it takes him a moment and seems difficult for him, Harry nods his head after a moment's pause and says quietly, "I'll _always _be your friend, Jayde."

A huge smile spreads across my face at this, and tears quickly build up in the corners of my eyes. I seriously consider hugging Harry again as a single teardrop makes its way down my cheek, but before I can do so this tender moment is interrupted by a loud 'Crack'. Searching for the source of the noise, I turn around to find that Pinky has just apparated at Draco's feet.

I immediately become afraid that something's happened to Skylar, but Pinky begins relaying the reason for her interruption without a moment's hesitation, quickly calming my fears. "Master Draco, Mary and Martha is asking Pinky to come and get you and Missus Jayde," the elf explains. "They say they has to be getting home soon." Casting a short but meaningful glance up at me, Draco returns his gaze to Pinky and nods in response.

"Thank you Pinky," he replies. "Tell Mary and Martha we'll be there in just a moment." Pinky immediately nods her head and disapparates, and as soon as she's done so Draco extends his hand for me. "I'm sorry, love," he says sweetly, "but we've really got to go."

I quickly look back at Harry and smile once more before nodding my head in agreement with Draco's statement and making my way back over to him. I intertwine my arm with his when I reach him, but just as we're about to apparate another thought crosses my mind. "Wait, Harry!" I exclaim, causing Draco to stop the apparition process. "Will you come to the wedding?" I ask uncertainly after I'm sure I've got Harry's attention.

Harry's eyebrows furrow in response, but instead of giving me a yes or no answer immediately, he simply replies, "I'll think about it."

Though I'm not quite satisfied with his answer, I realize that it's not a 'no' and that Harry probably really _does _just need some time to think. After smiling hopefully at him and then smiling at Mrs. Weasley and everyone else as well, I turn my head to the right and nod to Draco, indicating that I'm ready to go now.

At this, Draco immediately begins to spin on the spot, and just before we disapparate I see Ginny rush towards us. "Jayde, wait!" she calls desperately. Though I see the sad look on her face and want to stop to see what she has to say, it's too late; with a quiet 'Pop' everything fades to black as Draco and I disapparate.


	10. Chapter 10 Eighteen

Though I want to go back to the Burrow immediately after Draco and I have landed at Malfoy Manor so that I can talk to Ginny and try to straighten things out with her, Draco urges me not to. He tries to convince me that I shouldn't try to sort anything out while everyone's still upset; that I should wait a few days until everything has calmed down before trying to talk to Ginny. Although I really don't want to wait before making up with one of my best friends, I realize that Draco's probably right and decide to go along with his suggestion. Since it's Monday, I make a mental note to myself that I will write to Ginny on Wednesday to invite her over to the Manor so that we can talk.

When I wake up on Wednesday morning, however, Narcissa informs me that we have to go to Diagon Alley for a long list of wedding and reception-related items. She, Skylar and I remain in Diagon Alley until after dark, at which point apparate back to Malfoy Manor to find Lucius and Draco waiting for us patiently. Over dinner Wednesday night Narcissa informs me that we didn't finish _half _the things we needed to in Diagon Alley today, and that we'll have to return tomorrow. Exhausted and dreading the long day ahead of me tomorrow, I go to bed much earlier Wednesday night, completely forgetting about writing to Ginny. And though Narcissa and I spend just as much time in Diagon Alley on Thursday, she once again informs me that we've still got a lot of work to do and will have to return on Friday.

I'm so physically and emotionally exhausted when she says this that I seriously consider informing her that the only reason we haven't finished our shopping at Diagon Alley is because she can't seem to make up her mind about _anything_, from the silverware to the napkin designs. I bite my tongue, however, because I know that Narcissa is only trying to be helpful and I'm extremely glad that I don't have to make all these decisions by myself.

So when Friday morning rolls around, I reluctantly get out of bed and prepare for another long, stressful day of wedding shopping, and the letter I've been meaning to write to Ginny slowly slips farther and farther from my mind. After eating lunch at about 1 p.m. on Friday in one of the up-scale restaurants in Diagon Alley, Narcissa and I both realize how exhausted we are, and that we couldn't possibly continue shopping today. Barely able to hold our eyes open, we apparate back to Malfoy Manor with Skylar in tow, and as we slowly and sleepily trudge up the walkway towards the front door, Narcissa summons Pinky to her, instructing the house elf to take Skylar upstairs and place him in his crib.

A few moments after handing the infant over to Pinky's care, Narcissa and I enter Malfoy Manor and are just barely able to make it to the sofas in the Drawing Room before collapsing and falling into a deep sleep. We are awakened late in the evening by Draco and Lucius, who are gently shaking our shoulders in order to wake us up and sympathetically inform us that we've nearly slept through dinner. Sleep-dazed and messy-haired, we accompany the Malfoy men to the Dining Room and have to fight to stay awake long enough to eat our food. Halfway through the meal, Narcissa informs me that, although we _still _haven't finished our shopping, we're not going to worry about it for the next two days. She says that we'll use the weekend to rest up before heading back to Diagon Alley early next week, and although hearing the words 'Diagon Alley' make my ears and head hurt right now, I have absolutely _no _objections to taking a weekend off from shopping.

I wake fairly late on Saturday morning, and when Draco asks what I'd like to do this weekend, I truthfully reply, "Nothing". Sympathetic to my fatigue, Draco chuckles but accepts my request for a quiet weekend at home, and we spend Saturday and Sunday simply lounging around Malfoy Manor and enjoying each other's company.

Though I had somehow forgotten about it in the hustle and bustle of this week's activities, Draco reminds me multiple times over the weekend that my birthday is on Monday, and asks if there's anything in particular I'd like to do or anywhere in particular I'd like to go. When I tell him I can't think of anything he nods his head and says "Okay," a little _too _quickly, causing me to wonder what my fiancé has up his sleeve. Narcissa also starts up with the birthday questions on Sunday evening, asking if there's anything special I'd like for dinner or if I'd like to have any guests over. When I respond to her in the same manner as I did Draco, telling her that there's nothing I can think of, she seems slightly disappointed.

"I'm sorry," I tell her, hoping I'll be able to repair her feelings. "I'm just not used to anyone making a big deal over my birthday. I mean, Ms. Fitzpatrick always made birthday cakes for all the children at the orphanage, but that was just about all she had the time and money to do." Making this statement causes a sense of sadness to immediately sweep over me as I think about my deceased guardian, and a twinge of pain strikes me as I realize that this will be the first birthday I've celebrated without her. Feeling very emotional and upset about this, I look down at the table solemnly, trying to keep myself from crying. Thankfully, Narcissa sees how upset I am and realizes that she's touched on a sore subject, so she drops the issue and the rest of the meal passes in silence.

As we prepare to go to sleep that night, I snuggle up close to Draco and bury my head against his chest, allowing myself to fall into one of the crying spells that have come sporadically since Ms. Fitzpatrick's death. Draco soothes me and listens to me talk about Ms. Fitzpatrick as I continue to cry, and I slip into a deep sleep somewhere in the middle of our conversation.

When I wake on Monday, January 10th, the first thing I notice is that Draco isn't beside me. I furrow my eyebrows in curiosity and wonder where he could be, but a quick glance at the sunlight pouring in through the bedroom's windows tells me that it's nearly mid-morning, meaning that Draco's already left for work. Knowing that he wouldn't leave without telling me goodbye, I realize that I must have been so tired this morning that I didn't even hear him speaking to me before he left. Knowing that I've overslept quite a bit and that Skylar needs to be fed, I push myself out of the bed and make my way from the room, rubbing my eyes and groggily walking next door to the nursery to check on him. When I reach the crib, however, I see that Skylar isn't in it, and my eyebrows furrow in curiosity once more, wondering where my son could be.

Unable to wrap my sleepy brain around this situation, I blink several times and try to force myself more fully awake. _Okay Jayde, _I think to myself, _get it together. Narcissa probably came up here this morning to feed Skylar since you overslept… he's probably downstairs with her._ Feeling confident in this answer, I cross to the Nursery door and step out into the hallway to begin making my way down to the Drawing Room, where I'm sure to find Narcissa. When I step out of the Nursery, however, I'm distracted by a glimpse of an ocean of color that I see through my peripheral vision. Unsure of what it is and why I didn't notice it on my way into the Nursery, I quickly look around to find the source of my distraction. It doesn't take me long to find it, for one glance around me informs me that I am in fact surrounded by this ocean of color, and a wide smile spreads across my face as I look at it.

Balloons, confetti, streamers, and 'Happy Birthday' banners are either hanging or floating all over the hallway, and the way this pattern continues down the staircase tells me that the entire Manor, not just this floor, have been decorated. I stand there in wonder for a moment, taking in all the beautiful decorations and smiling up at them. Seeing all the hard work that was put into decorating the Manor makes me feel like the most special person on the planet, and my heart fills with emotion as my eyes fill with tears. I realize that Draco couldn't possibly have done all of this by himself, but there's no doubt in my mind that he was the mastermind behind all this.

After standing in the same spot admiring the decorations for a few moments I begin to make my way downstairs with a huge smile on my face. By the time I've reached the final flight of stairs, the smell of a freshly-cooked breakfast reaches my nostrils, and instead of heading for the Drawing Room, I make for the Dining Room instead. As soon as I round the corner and step into the room, several of the maids, who are standing in various places around the room, start singing 'Happy Birthday' to me. I blush and smile even more in response, and my eyes finally land on Narcissa, who's seated at the table with Skylar in her arms.

"Look Sky, there she is! There's Mummy!" she calls out loudly above the noise of the maids' singing. Skylar starts smiling the moment he sees me, and it makes my heart melt. "Can you tell Mummy 'Happy Birthday', Sky?" Narcissa asks the infant rhetorically. Hearing Narcissa talk in that high-pitched baby voice makes me realize just how big a pile of mush becoming a grandmother has made her, and I'm unable to prevent myself from chuckling about it. I walk over to my almost mother-in-law and extend my arms to indicate that I'll take Skylar, but she simply smiles and says, "Why don't I hold him while you have your breakfast, dear?" Then she nods slightly, indicating my breakfast plate which is sitting a short distance away.

"Oh, right," I reply, suddenly remembering how hungry I am. With this, I lean down and kiss Skylar on the forehead before taking a seat. As soon as I'm seated, the maids stop singing and start scuffling out of the Dining Room and back to the Kitchen and their long list of chores. I begin eating ravenously while Narcissa continues to play with Skylar, and as soon as I've finished eating I push my chair back and extend my arms once more. This time, Narcissa immediately hands the infant to me, and I kiss him on the forehead again before tickling his tiny little belly and laughing at the huge smile that appears on his face when I do so.

"Draco wanted me to tell you 'Happy Birthday' for him dear," Narcissa interrupts. "He said he told you this morning but he thought you were halfway asleep when you answered him."

"Oh I was," I reply. "I don't even remember speaking to him."

"That's what he reckoned," she answers with a smile. When I smile back at her, however, she quickly looks away, and my eyebrows furrow in curiosity for the third time this morning; this entire day has seemed very odd thus far. As soon as this thought crosses my brain, the day gets even _odder_; Narcissa quickly gets to her feet and scurries out of the room, only briefly explaining that she's off to Diagon Alley for the rest of the day to take care of some Bridal Shower business. I can't help but think that she's acting very strangely, but I try not to think about it too much and decide to head back upstairs to get a shower and try to find something to do to pass time while I'm waiting for Draco to get home from work.

Not long after I reach the bedroom, however, one of the maids knocks on the door gently. "Come in," I call softly. I then turn to gaze at the door and watch as the maid pushes it open slowly and peers in at me.

"I'm sorry to bother you Miss Jayde," she says quietly, "but your friend is here to see you… the one called Granger."

I gasp and smile at the same time in response to this bit of news and my eyes widen with joy. "Hermione?" I half-exclaim, half-ask.

"Yes ma'am," the maid replies with a nod of her head. "Should I send her up?" By the time the maid has finished asking this question, she has already realized what the answer is, for in my excited state I have rushed past her, ran down the hall, and have started descending the first flight of stairs with Skylar still snuggled in my arms. I descend the second two flights of stairs at an almost record pace and find Hermione standing just inside the Entrance Hall when I arrive. She rushes over and carefully pulls me into a warm one-armed hug as she tells me 'Happy Birthday', and before we release each other I begin to realize that something's not right: Ginny's not here.

This makes me remember what I had completely forgotten in the bustle of the past few days, and I get the strong urge to smack myself on the forehead when I come to the realization; _I forgot to send Ginny a letter. _Though I'm fairly certain I know what the answer will be, I decide to ask Hermione the obvious question anyway. "Where's Ginny? Why isn't she here?" I ask, trying to mask the concern and disappointment that are evident in my expression and tone.

"She um… she wasn't sure if she was welcome," Hermione replies. The way she blushes indicates just how uncomfortable this situation is making her feel.

"What? Of _course _Ginny's welcome!" I reply with an exasperated sigh, "She's my best friend!" Hermione smiles when I say this and nods her head in response.

"I knew you'd feel that way," she says happily. "I tried to convince Ginny of it too, but she's really embarrassed. She's been really upset ever since you left the Burrow the other day; she's convinced that you don't ever want to speak to her again."

"Why on Earth would I never speak to her again?" I ask rhetorically in response. "She's one of my bridesmaids, for Merlin's sake!" Hermione just chuckles in response.

"I told her that, too," she replies. "I guess she just thinks you're still mad at her for the whole 'Harry' situation. She told me she was pretty sure you didn't want her to be a bridesmaid anymore, either."

At this, I shake my head in disbelief and frustration. "This is ridiculous," I say quietly. Then, suddenly seeing a way to resolve this ridiculous situation, I look back up at Hermione with determination. "I'm going to the Burrow _right now _to talk to her," I say pointedly. "This has gone on for long enough."

"You can't," Hermione quickly replies, "she's not there. She went to help Fred and George in the joke shop today."

Feeling as though I'm a balloon that's just had a needle stuck in it, I exhale loudly. "Well that won't work then," I mutter. I can't help but feel slightly disappointed and anxious; I want all this tension between Ginny and I solved as soon as possible. Hermione senses my anxiety and tries her best to soothe me.

"Don't worry about it Jayde," she says sympathetically. "I'll tell her everything that you've said, and I'll make sure she's here for your Bridal Shower on Saturday, even if I have to drag her here." I can't help but laugh in response to Hermione's statement, and she takes that as the perfect opportunity to change subjects. "Anyway, let's stop talking about all this stupid stuff," she says, "I was bored out of my mind at the Burrow so I came here to spend the day with you; not to talk about how ridiculous Ginny's being."

This statement causes me to laugh once again, and Hermione and I make our way into the Drawing Room, where we each take a seat on one of the large sofas and start talking, catching up on everything we've missed in each other's lives lately. The two of us spend a great deal of time talking about various subjects, including my upcoming Bridal Shower and Wedding, and I insist that Hermione stay and have lunch with Skylar and me. The maids serve us a meal fit for royalty in the Dining Room, and after we've eaten we trudge upstairs to the Nursery so I can put Skylar down for a nap.

Once the tiny tot is tucked snugly beneath the covers, Hermione and I proceed to Draco's and my bedroom. We lounge around lazily for a bit and start to become somewhat bored, but the more immature and girly sides of us quickly solve that problem. We make our way into Draco's and my _huge _closet, where we proceed to try on many of the various outfits I've been given that I've never even worn. This turns in to a bit of a fashion show, with each of us taking turns modeling different outfits, dresses, shoes and jewelry for the other. A short while later when even the 'fashion show' becomes a bit boring, we turn the radio on a low volume to prevent waking Skylar and start dancing around like a pair of idiots.

Though this is quite out-of-character for both of us and we realize how insane we must look, we're having _loads _of fun and we can't seem to stop laughing. I realize that we're being a bit childish, but I'm having so much fun that I don't really care; this is the first time in a _long _time that I've acted silly and foolish and… well… _like a teenager_. Hermione and I continue dancing around for a little while, but we both come to an abrupt stop when we hear a male's voice call out, "So this is what happens when you leave girls alone for too long?"

My heart feels as though it's in my throat and my cheeks immediately flush with embarrassment as I turn around to find Draco looking at me with an enormous smile on his face. Seeming startled, Hermione immediately begins removing my clothes and jewelry that she'd put on over top of her clothes. "Draco!" I exclaim in both surprise and horror, "What are you doing home so early?"

"I'm not home yet love," he says, still smiling from ear to ear, "I'm on my lunch break. I just wanted to bring you these flowers and tell you 'Happy Birthday'."

I look at Draco's right hand and see that he's brought me a dozen red roses, and the smile that crosses my face is almost enough to cover the still-embarrassed redness on my cheeks. I start to thank Draco for this sweet gesture, but Hermione speaks before any words can make their way out of my mouth. "Jayde, I think I'll just go back to the Burrow now," she says quietly, drawing both my attention and Draco's. I feel slightly disappointed as I smile and nod my head at her in response, and Draco quickly steps in to try and repair the situation.

"You really don't have to go, Granger," he says politely. "I'll only be here for a moment."

"No, it's fine," Hermione replies as her face flushes again. "I've really got to be going. I'll see you on Saturday, Jayde."

At this, Hermione quickly leaves the room, and her behavior lets me know _exactly _why she's leaving in such a hurry; she's embarrassed too... perhaps even more embarrassed than I am. I'm sure that hardly _anyone_ has ever seen smart, sensible Hermione goofing off like that, and I know that the fact that she's just been seen dancing by her former enemy has got to be absolutely _mortifying_. I seriously consider running after her and telling her there's nothing to be embarrassed about, but Draco speaks and interrupts my thought process, preventing me from doing so.

"Well, it certainly looked as though you two were having a lot of fun," he teases.

I laugh in response and playfully say "Shut up." Draco pretends to be offended by this, which makes me laugh aloud once more. Then Draco steps forward and wraps his arms around me, pulling me into a tight hug and kissing me on the cheek. When he releases me from the embrace, he extends his right hand once more, indicating that I should take the flowers from him. "Thank you," I reply quietly with a smile. "They're beautiful."

"You're very welcome, love," he says sweetly. "And I'm sorry, but I really have to go now; I'll be late getting back to work."

"Okay," I reply with a nod. With this, Draco steps closer to me once more and plants a tender kiss on my lips.

"I'll see you later, darling," he says once he's removed his lips from mine. "And make sure you're ready to go when I get home from work; we have a date tonight."

"A date?" I ask, furrowing my eyebrows but smiling at the same time.

"Yeah," Draco replies with a nod.

Quickly becoming curious, I immediately ask, "Well where are we going?"

"I'm afraid I can't tell you that, dear," Draco replies in a matter-of-fact tone, still smiling the whole while. I chuckle in response to this, and Draco leans in and kisses me once more. "I'll see you later, darling," he says softly. "I love you."

I smile and tell Draco that I love him in response, and then he turns and quickly exits the room, leaving me to ponder what he's got up his sleeve and where we're going on our 'date' tonight.


	11. Chapter 11 The Best Birthday

**Author's Note (The short version): You are all AMAZING, I'm _terribly _sorry that this has taken so long and I will do my best to be quicker at updating next time, I hope you enjoy it, and please review!**

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><p>A couple of hours before Draco's due to arrive home from work, I get a shower and start getting ready for the evening's activities, leaving Pinky to look after Skylar while I do so. Since I don't know where we're going, I'm unsure how formal (or informal) I should dress. To be on the safe side, I choose a semi-formal black, knee-length dress and my black ballet slipper shoes. I spend a little extra time getting ready, making sure my hair and makeup are absolutely perfect for the occasion, whatever it may be. I also don silver earrings and a silver necklace to make the outfit complete.<p>

I can't help but feel more and more excited as the time draws near; for some reason the thought of Draco and I having a date makes me feel like _more _of a giddy teenager than I did when I was dancing around with Hermione earlier. I realize that this is probably due to the fact that Draco and I haven't had very much time alone together since Skylar was born, and for some reason this realization makes me even _more _excited and slightly nervous. I'm unsure of where this nervousness is coming from, but I try my best to ignore it and focus instead on how amazing this night is sure to be.

When Draco arrives home from work a short while later, he greets me with a smile and a kiss. He tells me that I look lovely, which makes me blush, and then he hurries into our closet to change into an outfit more appropriate for the occasion. While waiting for him to get ready, I remove Skylar from his crib in the Nursery next door and take him downstairs with me, thinking that I'll just talk to Narcissa for a while until Draco's ready to leave. When I reach the Drawing Room, however, Narcissa is nowhere to be found.

Instead, Lucius is sitting in his favorite chair near the fireplace, reading today's issue of the _Daily Prophet_. I take a seat on one of the sofas quietly in an effort to avoid disturbing him, but as soon as he realizes I've entered the room Lucius lowers the paper, folds it up and puts it down on a nearby end table. "Happy Birthday, dear," he says with a smile.

I smile and tell him "Thank you" in response, and then he asks if I'm excited for Draco's and my night out. "Sure," I reply, unable to keep myself from blushing. "I just wish he'd tell me where we're going." At this point, Draco enters the room wearing an all-black suit, fiddling with the buttons on the cuff of his sleeve and looking like a god. My heart starts beating more quickly at the sight of him, and I have to try very hard to keep from staring. Having apparently heard the conversation between Lucius and me, Draco comments on it.

"Well, it wouldn't be a surprise if I told you, now would it?" he asks rhetorically with a smile.

"No, I guess not," I reply, smiling but still trying to avoid looking at him longingly. Lucius chuckles at our exchange, but then Draco feels the need to ask another, less-rhetorical question.

"Where's Mum?" he asks, his eyebrows furrows in bewilderment. "She was supposed to look after Skylar while Jayde and I are out."

"Well son, it looks like she hasn't returned from her Bridal Shower shopping trip yet," Lucius replies, "but it's all right; I can look after Skylar until she gets here." With this, Lucius extends his hands towards me as an indication that he'd like me to bring Skylar to him. I immediately get to my feet and walk over to where Lucius is sitting, but Draco seems less sure.

"Are you sure, Father?" he asks somewhat apprehensively.

"Absolutely," Lucius replies as he reaches up and takes the infant from me. "Besides," he continues, "I think Skylar and I could use some quality Grandfather-Grandson time, don't you agree, Sky?" The way Lucius looks down at the infant as he asks this is both endearing and hilarious; I have to cover my mouth to keep from laughing and saying "Aww" loudly. Apparently appeased by his father's answer, Draco chuckles in response before addressing me.

"Well, are you ready to go then, darling?" he asks. I nod my head in response, trying to mask the extreme excitement I feel. Then I lean down and kiss Skylar on the forehead before crossing the room and joining Draco.

"All right then, you two have fun and we'll see you when you get back," Lucius calls out as Draco helps me into my coat.

"Okay Father, see you later!" Draco calls in response, and with that Draco wraps his arm around my waist and gently guides me out of the Drawing Room, through the Entrance Hall, and out of the front door.

The excitement in the air over our first post-baby date is almost tangible as Draco and I make our way down the yew-hedged walkway, and as soon as we exit the wrought-iron gates we prepare to disapparate. Before we do so, however, Draco instructs me to close my eyes and to keep them closed until he tells me to open them. Though it makes me feel a bit silly, I agree, and as soon as I've closed my eyes Draco starts turning us on the spot. We disapparate a moment later and, true to my word, I keep my eyes closed when we land.

Without opening my eyes, however, I'm already aware of one aspect of our location. I'm not sure if it's a smell in the air or the way the breeze gently brushes my face, but I'm _certain_ that I'm correct. "We're in Ireland," I state matter-of-factly.

"How did you know that?" Draco asks in astonishment. "I thought I told you to keep your eyes closed!"

"They _are _closed, love," I reply. "I can just… tell."

"Well do you know _where _in Ireland we are?" he asks softly.

"N- no," I reply after pondering this question for a moment.

"Good," he replies, "Now open your eyes." My eyes fly open before Draco's even finished speaking, and I immediately gasp at the sight before me. The familiar rolling hills and grey stone buildings make my heart swell with joy, and happy tears quickly form in the corners of my eyes.

"Oh Draco!" I exclaim, covering my mouth in awe, "We're at Dunamase!" Smiling from ear to ear at my reaction, Draco steps up behind me and wraps his arms around my middle, resting his head against my shoulder.

"That's right, love," he says in my ear softly. "The students haven't returned from Christmas break yet, so I thought you might like to show me around your old school."

"Oh no; we _couldn't_ just enter the school like that," I reply, turning my head to the right to gaze over at him. "We'd have to have permission."

"And we _have _Mrs. McGreggor's permission," he replies with a smile.

"Really?!" I half-ask, half-exclaim. "Is she here?"

"No darling," Draco replies, giving me a sympathetic look. "I'm afraid she couldn't make it tonight, but she wanted me to tell you 'Happy Birthday' for her." Though I'm slightly disappointed that I won't get to see my former headmistress tonight, I'm thrilled to be back at Dunamase and immediately take Draco by the hand, practically dragging him towards the school. The winter sun begins to set not long after we arrive, causing the school's many torches to burst to life. The dim light of the torches makes for a very romantic setting as I take Draco to every place imaginable on the school grounds, and it creates the same effect when we enter the castle as well.

Thrilled to see that his birthday surprise has made me so happy and excited, Draco smiles the whole time as I take him up to the fourth floor and show him my old dormitory, and he continues to smile as I take him down to the third and second floors, showing him every detail from the largest classroom to the smallest broom closet. Draco seems a little less excited when we reach the first floor for some reason, but I assume it's just because there's not much to see on the ground floor of Dunamase. Nevertheless, I am determined to show him every detail, and I save the Dining Hall for last, since I realize that's the least interesting of the rooms down here.

When we finally reach the Dining Hall, however, I'm surprised to find that it looks quite different than what I'm used to. All of the dining tables are gone, and there are hundreds of candles lit all around the room. Several torches are lit along the Hall's back wall, and the light they're giving off alerts me to the fact that there's a group of about five people standing at the back of the room. I become frightened at first, and quickly move closer to Draco, squeezing his arm. When I notice the set of drums near the strangers, however, I quickly become more curious than afraid and finally have a proper look at them. I make a shocking realization as I survey their familiar, smiling faces; they're the members of my favorite wizard band, the Broken Broomsticks.

"Oh my God, Draco!" I exclaim in a whisper, "That's the Broken Broomsticks!" When Draco doesn't respond to this, I look up and to my right at him to find that he's smiling down at me, and this makes me realize that their presence at Dunamase is a part of my birthday surprise as well. After surveying Draco's face for a moment, I ask the obvious question. "You hired the Broken Broomsticks to give me a concert for my birthday?" I ask incredulously.

"Not quite," Draco replies, still smiling from ear to ear.

"Well then what are they doing here?" I ask, furrowing my eyebrows in confusion.

"Well," he begins, "We were sort of forced to dance together at our first ball, so I was hoping that we could make up for that tonight." I gasp at this explanation of Draco's sweet gesture, and tears build up in the corners of my eyes once more. Draco, however, hasn't finished explaining. "You can't have a ball without music," he continues, "And since it's your birthday I thought it might be nice if your favorite band was playing." I continue to stare up at Draco after he's finished speaking, and a silent tear rolls down my cheek. Draco wipes the tear away with his forefinger and smiles down at me tenderly. "So what do you say, darling?" he asks as he extends his hand for me. "May I have this dance?"

I quickly nod my head and take his hand in response, afraid that if I try to speak right now I'll burst into tears. The band starts playing a slow song as Draco leads me out to the middle of the floor. I wrap my arms around Draco's neck as he places his hands on my waist, and the two of us continually move closer and closer together as we slowly sway along with the music. We dance for a couple of songs, then take a break and have a seat, talking to each other about various subjects while the band continues to play, each of us wearing enormous smiles the whole time. A short while later, Draco stands and says that we've got time for one more dance before we have to leave, so we walk towards the center of the room once more, hand in hand. I lay my head on Draco's shoulder as we dance, trying to savor this moment.

I'm unsure of what Draco's got planned next for the evening, but this birthday has _already_ been one of the most wonderful, magical days of my life. I'm actually sad when the song ends and we have to bid farewell to the Broken Broomsticks, and I take one last nostalgic look back on Dunamase before Draco and I prepare to disapparate. Draco once again tells me to close my eyes and keep them closed, and I obey. When we land this time, there's still something familiar in the air, and I mention it to Draco once more. "We're still in Ireland," I say.

"Yes, love," Draco replies with a slight edge in his tone. He almost sounds _nervous_, and I'm immediately curious as to why that is.

With my eyes still closed, Draco takes my hand and begins to lead me forward. We walk a short distance before he tells me to open my eyes, and when my eyes open this time, my heart drops into my stomach. Though it's fairly dark outside, I'd know the path we're on _anywhere_; we're on the old dirt road that leads to the orphanage I grew up in. I immediately stop dead in my tracks, and Draco eyes me apprehensively; now I know what he was so nervous about. I haven't been back to the orphanage since Ms. Fitzpatrick died, and I haven't necessarily _wanted _to either… I feel that the memories would be too painful upon reentering the house I grew up in, mostly because it's also the house Ms. Fitzpatrick died in.

"Draco, I don't think I can do this," I say breathlessly. "I just don't think I'm ready." Draco immediately gives me a sympathetic look and squeezes my hand in response, but I can tell that he's still intent on taking me to the orphanage tonight.

"Darling, I really think it's time you went back," he says gently. "You don't have to go inside if you don't want to, and I'll be right here by your side the whole time. I'll help you through this." Though I am touched by Draco's words, I still _really _don't want to do this. I remain silent, however, and Draco takes that silence as an agreement to continue down the path towards the orphanage. He slowly begins to lead me forward once more, and I'm surprised by the fact that Draco seems to know _exactly _where he's going, even though he's only been here once. I decide to question him about this in an effort to change subjects and break the awkward silence that has arisen between us.

"How were you able to apparate here?" I ask barely louder than a whisper. A small smile crosses Draco's face at this question, which makes me even _more _curious.

"I had some help from Mrs. McGreggor," he replies quietly. "I told her what I wanted to do for your birthday, so she brought me here and to Dunamase a few times so I'd be familiar enough with the area that I could apparate us here."

Though this answer makes my heart swell with affection for my fiancé and my former headmistress, it also raises another question. "But when have you had time to do that?" I ask. "You're always either at work or with me!"

"On my lunch breaks," he replies slyly. "I've been meeting Mrs. McGreggor in Hogsmeade on my lunch hour every day for the past few weeks. We _would _have met in Diagon Alley, but we knew there was a chance we'd run into _you _there." I'm both flattered and concerned that Draco has been giving up his lunch hours for me, and I open my mouth to tell him so. Before any words make their way out, though, I spot the edge of the orphanage's yard up ahead on my right, and the sight of it shocks me into silence. I can tell even from this distance that something is a little different about it, and my curiosity drags me forward, despite the wariness I feel and the way my heart is pounding loudly in my chest.

I try to reserve judgment on how different the orphanage looks until Draco and I reach the yard, but my suspicions are confirmed when we're standing in front of the mail box; something is _very _different about the orphanage. Though it's still early in the evening and there should be people bustling around inside, the house is _completely _dark; not even the porch light is on. Two of the front windows are broken, and several of the porch's floorboards are missing. The paint has begun to peel in places, and the lawn and garden are both in _all sorts _of disarray. The house that was once full of screaming children and laughter now looks lonesome and forgotten.

Seeing my childhood home in this condition completely breaks my heart, and the sense of sadness I feel is strong enough to overpower the sense of wariness I felt only moments ago at the thought of returning here tonight. Draco notices my reaction and squeezes my hand tightly in an effort to comfort me. "Draco, what happened to it?!" I exclaim, unable to keep the emotion from showing in my voice.

"It um… it sort of fell apart after Ms. Fitzpatrick died," he says apologetically. "Her sister came to run it, but she couldn't keep up with the bills; the um… I think muggles call it a 'mortgage'… anyway, it was just too much for her." I immediately feel completed bewildered at Draco's words; to _my _knowledge, Ms. Fitzpatrick didn't _have _a sister.

"Her- her _sister_?" I ask Draco with furrowed eyebrows. "I didn't even know she _had _a sister!"

"Mrs. McGreggor had no idea either, love," Draco replies softly, "She didn't find out about Ms. Fitzpatrick's sister until she took over the orphanage. Apparently, Ms. Fitzpatrick and her sister had some sort of feud; that hadn't spoken to each other in years. But when the younger Ms. Fitzpatrick found out about her sister's death, she immediately volunteered to take over the orphanage, as a way of making up with her sister. She felt awful for not speaking to her sister before her death, and she knew that Ms. Fitzpatrick would want the orphanage to stay open. She tried her best, but she got so far behind on her payments that the bank finally stepped in and closed the orphanage, and put the house up for sale."

Learning that Ms. Fitzpatrick had a sister that I never knew about makes me feel curious and shocked, but the most powerful emotion I feel right now is a surge of anger at this information, and at the thought that a bank would repossess an orphanage, thereby taking away the only home some of those children have ever known. Angry, hurt tears make their way from my eyes, and though it makes me feel horrible to admit it, part of my anger is directed at Draco. _Why would he bring me here when he _knew _how badly this would upset me? _I think to myself. _Why would he show me this, on _my birthday _of all days?_ I try to control my anger, but more questions pop into my mind, and I find myself unable to keep them from coming out of my mouth.

"You knew this was happening and you didn't tell me?" I ask, looking up at Draco in an accusatory way. He looks down at me apprehensively in response, and puts his hands out in front of himself defensively.

"Darling, just calm down," he says carefully. "Give me a moment to explain."

"I will _not _calm down!" I exclaim, trying to control the anger in my voice and keep from yelling at him. "You _knew _I'd want to know about this! You knew I'd want to _do _something… to keep this from happening! I can't _believe _you didn't tell me!" I stop speaking and continue to stare at him angrily, and there's a very pained look on Draco's face as I do so.

"Darling, I'm sorry that I've upset you, but _please, _just hear me out," he pleads. When I don't interrupt him, he continues. "I _did _know that you'd want to do something about this…" he begins, but his voice trails off as I interrupt him.

"You just don't understand!" I say loudly as tears start gushing from my eyes. "This was my _home_; this place meant _the world _to me! It's where I lived with _her!_" My façade of anger breaks with this statement, and all the pain and sadness I feel make their way to the forefront of my consciousness. I cover my face with my hands and sob into them, and Draco takes a step closer and wraps his arms around me, trying to comfort and calm me as I continue to sob. I cry on Draco's shoulder for quite a while, but then I realize that I've got to pull myself together and start trying to think of ways to fix this awful situation.

I lean up out of Draco's embrace and begin wiping the tears from my eyes. "I've got to… talk to someone," I say with determination, trying to stop crying. "I've got to… find out who owns it now. Maybe… I can talk to them… convince them to reopen the orphanage."

"I thought you'd say that," Draco says quietly. "And it just so happens that I _know_ who owns the orphanage." My eyebrows furrow in confusion and this, and I look up at Draco once more. As I do so, he reaches into one of his coat pockets and pulls out a piece of folded-up paper, passing it to me slowly.

"What is this?" I ask, continuing to look up at him as I unfold the paper slowly.

"It's the deed to the orphanage," he replies calmly, looking down at me sympathetically as an indication that seeing me crying is upsetting him, as well. I gasp and Draco's response and stare down at the paper eagerly, but find myself unable to read the document in the pale winter moonlight.

"It's _too_ dark, I can't read it," I say in frustration, looking back up at Draco for clarification. "_Who_ owns the orphanage, Draco?"

"You do," he replies simply, giving me a tender look. Now _completely _confused, I furrow my eyebrows again and stare at Draco as though he's gone insane. "_What?_" I ask incredulously.

Instead of answering me, Draco pulls his wand from his pocket and says "_Lumos,"_ causing its tip to illuminate. He holds the wand above the paper he's just given me, allowing me to see the document clearly. I scan the paper quickly, skimming over the lines at the top that say _Property Deed _and _Property Address_; I'm only interested in the third line from the top… the one that has the heading '_Owner'_. I gasp and nearly drop the paper when I see my name there; well, my _almost_-name: _Jayde Malfoy_. My heart starts beating rapidly and I feel excited, but I'm also bewildered. I look up to Draco for an explanation and find him smiling down at me. "How- How is this possible?!" I half-ask, half-exclaim with wide eyes.

"Well darling," Draco begins, "I knew you wouldn't want the orphanage to stay closed and get sold to some stranger… so when I found out what was happening, I asked Mrs. McGreggor for a bit _more _help. She helped me get some of our gold converted to muggle money, and then she took the money to the muggle bank for me and bought the orphanage."

My heart nearly stops beating at this, and tears immediately start pouring from my eyes like waterfalls again, despite my recent attempts to stop crying. "You b- _You bought me the orphanage_?" I ask breathlessly.

"Yeah," Draco replies with a smile and a quick nod of his head.

"Oh _Draco_!" I exclaim, flying into his arms once more and burying my head against his chest as happy tears continue flowing from my eyes. "Thank you _so, SO _much!" I finally manage a few moments later, pulling out of his embrace so that I can lean up and plant a tender thank-you kiss on his lips.

"You're very welcome, love; it's the _least_ I could do," he replies a moment later when we've stopped kissing, rubbing my cheek gently with his left hand. The two of us stand there in the pale moonlight for a few moments, smiling and looking into each other's eyes happily as tears continue to slide down my already-soaked cheeks. When my tears slowly begin to subside, Draco kisses me tenderly and then exhales loudly, seeming relieved that this night has gone so well.

"So, Mrs. Malfoy," he says loudly with a huge smile, "Since you're now the orphanage's owner and can do with it what you please, what will be your first course of action?"

"I want to reopen it and bring back all the children that were here," I reply immediately. "As soon as possible." Draco smiles and nodes his head in response as an indication that he _knew _what my answer would be.

"Well, we'll have to have someone to run it," he says matter-of-factly.

"That's true," I reply immediately, my brain suddenly beginning to busy itself with trying to work out a solution to this problem. "I'd do it _myself_," I state a moment later, "But that'd require me to be here _all the time_, not to mention we have our _own _family to think about." I pause here a moment before continuing my out-loud thinking, and Draco doesn't interrupt. "I really wish I knew how to get in touch with Ms. Fitzpatrick's sister," I finally say. "I wonder if she'd still be interested in running the orphanage, now that the mortgage is taken care of."

"As a matter of fact, she is," Draco replies, shocking me for what feels like the millionth time tonight.

"You mean, you've already asked her about it?" I ask, glancing up at my fiancé in awe. When he simply smiles and nods his head in response, I feel another surge of love for him sweep over me. "You've gone to _so much trouble!" _I say in astonishment. "Is there anything you _haven't _already thought of?"

"No, I don't think so," he replies with a serious expression. I laugh quietly at this, but then Draco continues speaking and I quickly grow silent. "I know you're going to be very busy for a while since our wedding is only a month away, so I've told Ms. Fitzpatrick to meet you here on March 1st; the day I go back to work after the wedding," he explains. "I've also hired a construction crew to meet the two of you here that morning to get started on the repairs. They're the same crew that my father used to get Skylar's Nursery done so quickly; magic will speed up the process. Ms. Fitzpatrick _refuses _to let us pay her to run the orphanage, but I've assured her that if she needs _anything_, all she has to do is tell us and it's done."

My eyes bulge and my mouth drops open as Draco continues speaking, and by the time he's finished, my jaw is in danger of hitting the orphanage's frozen lawn. I am completely astounded by how much thought and preparation Draco has put into this, and it only leaves me with one question. "Wow. Well, um… is there anything else?" I ask quietly; Draco chuckles at my question before responding.

"Actually, yes," he replies, his smile only adding to his overwhelming attractiveness. I can't _possibly _think of anything else that needs to be settled, and it surprises me that Draco _has. _

"Well, what is it?" I ask, puzzled.

"Well, I was thinking about how you're always saying that you need something to do while I'm at work," Draco begins, placing his hands on my waist, "And I thought that maybe you might like to help out around here sometimes. You wouldn't be able to do it _every _day, of course, because I'm sure you'll want to see your friends and you'll have other things to do sometimes, like taking Skylar to his check-ups, but maybe you could come help Ms. Fitzpatrick a couple of days a week; if you wanted to, of course. I'm sure she could use the help and it would give you something to do. And you could bring Skylar and let him play with the children. You'd have to be careful not to use magic around them, but you're used to that anyw…"

Draco is unable to finish speaking at this point because I lean up and wrap my arms around his neck, pressing my lips against his firmly. As he's been speaking for the past few moments, I've become more and more touched by his thoughtfulness, and this feeling combined with the fact that we're alone together for the first time in _ages _has made me more and more grateful and happy, culminating in this sudden display of affection. I continue to kiss Draco passionately, and he closes his eyes and pulls me closer to him in response. Our simple snog session turns into a heated make-out session _very _quickly, and Draco gently touches the side of my face before sliding his hand down along my throat, pulling me _even closer_ to him and deepening our kiss. He moans slightly as he does so, and I breathe in sharply when he does. He stops kissing me a moment later, and I look up at the pale moonlight reflected in his beautiful silver eyes.

"We should probably… stop," he says breathlessly. "Before things get out of hand." Although I want to keep kissing him and take full advantage of this rare alone time we have together, I realize that Draco's right and nod my head in response. I remove my hands from his neck and start trying to regain my composure, but apparently I'm not the only one who was enjoying our snog session; Draco grabs the back of my head and pulls me closer, crashing his lips down on mine and ignoring his own advice. This sparks another long-awaited and passionate snog session, and it takes a lot of restraint on both of our parts to end it a short while later.

Once we've calmed down enough, Draco and I slowly begin making our way own the dirt path towards our apparition spot, hand in hand. We talk and laugh about the night's activities as we walk, and though we're ready to get home to our son, we're also sad that this wonderful date night has come to an end. We disapparate once we reach the old tree at the end of the dirt road, and we arrive back at the wrought-iron gates to Malfoy Manor only seconds later.

When we enter, I'm once again surprised when I find that Narcissa has put together a Birthday Dinner for me; she's invited Blaise, Pansy, Crabbe, Goyle, Mary and Martha over to celebrate. And that's not all; it appears as though Draco was fibbing earlier when he told me I wouldn't see Mrs. McGreggor tonight, for she is waiting for us at Malfoy Manor as well. The Malfoys and I all eat a delicious dinner with our guests, after which there's a round of dessert, party games, and birthday presents for me to open. The family and I celebrate with our guests until well after midnight, at which point the party dies down and everyone has to go home to prepare for work the next day. Draco and I head to bed after bidding farewell to our guests and placing Skylar in his crib, and before I fall asleep I make sure to thank Draco dozens of times for giving me the best Birthday ever.


	12. Chapter 12 Another Shower

**Author's Note: Okay, I was hoping to make this chapter a bit longer, in an effort to make up for the ****_ridiculous _amount of time it has taken me to get another chapter out to you guys. But I felt it was good to end this chapter here since, in the next chapter or two, we'll be at the (dun dun DUN) WEDDING! Before you delve into this newest chapter, I just wanted to, once again, apologize for the delay and to thank you all for your continued patience. _Please _bare with me! I've got a break from school coming up in a couple of weeks, and I plan on writing as much as I can in that time! I promise, I'm not going to stop writing this story until it's finished, I won't give up, no matter how long it takes! So please, keep reading and reviewing, let me know you're still here! I really appreciate all the support you guys have shown; you are all amazing! Thank you, I hope you enjoy, and _PLEASE REVIEW!_**

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><p>Since my Bridal Shower is on Saturday, January 15th, the days following my birthday are, without a doubt, some of the most hectic days that Malfoy Manor has ever seen… or at least, while I've been here. Narcissa has ordered the maids and house elves to do a thorough "cleaning" of the Manor, even though it's <em>never <em>dirty, and she spends nearly all of her time at Diagon Alley, buying last minute decorations and necessities for Saturday's festivities. Although I offer several times, I'm unable to help Narcissa with any of the party preparations; she still insists on the details of my Bridal Shower being a _complete _surprise.

As the week rolls on, Narcissa becomes stressed beyond belief, and her stress seems to seep through to all the other members of the household; even Skylar seems to be a bit distraught. But by the time Saturday morning rolls around, the atmosphere of stress turns to one of excitement, and when Draco and I get out of bed, the entire manor is already a flurry of activity. Draco steps over to the Nursery to get Skylar and the three of us go downstairs to the Dining Room to have a quick breakfast with Lucius; Narcissa is too busy ordering around the maids to even bother with eating.

As soon as we finish our breakfast, Narcissa shoos us out of the kitchen so that the maids can start cleaning and setting the table for the lunch that's being prepared for all of the shower guests. She urges me to go upstairs and start getting ready, so Draco lies on our bed with Skylar while I step into the bathroom to get a shower and get dressed. By the time I've donned the clothes that Narcissa chose for me to wear today, my guests have begun to arrive; apparently, Narcissa had scheduled the shower for a bit earlier than what I thought. So, panicking, I rush through the process of drying my hair and applying my makeup, and as soon as I finish Draco and I rush downstairs, with Skylar in tow, to greet the guests who are down in the Entrance Hall waiting.

As I make my way down the final flight of stairs, I'm surprised to see just how many women _have _already arrived. Many of their husbands or sons are with them because, once again, Draco and Lucius have arranged a Quidditch Match for the men while we ladies have our party, just like they did during my Baby Shower. This time, however, the Quidditch Match will be in the back yard at Malfoy Manor.

It's difficult to hear myself think over the loud chatter between all the guests in the Entrance Hall, but once Narcissa notices Draco's and my presence in the Entrance Hall, she loudly announces that it's time for the men to leave so that the shower can begin. The men begin bidding temporary farewells to their wives, mothers, and girlfriends, and the women begin filing into the Drawing Room once Narcissa opens the previously-shut doors, which quickly rids the Entrance Hall of most of its occupants and noise. The only people who remain in the Entrance Hall at this point are Lucius, Narcissa, Draco and I, along with Blaise, Crabbe and Goyle, who, as always, are waiting for their 'leader'.

Lucius gives Narcissa a light kiss while Draco does the same to me, and then, realizing that he'd forgotten his broomstick upstairs, he passes Skylar over to me and rushes back up to our bedroom, his friends hot on his heels. I remain at the bottom of the stairs waiting for Draco's return so that I can kiss him one last time before we part for a few hours, and Lucius and Narcissa remain in the Entrance Hall with me. When Crabbe and Goyle come downstairs first a few minutes later, I'm surprised and a little wary to see that Goyle is carrying a gift-wrapped purple box. My eyebrows furrow as Goyle approaches me, and, a little uncomfortably, he says, "Draco asked me to give this to you."

I smile slightly but am unable to take the box from him as I'm holding Skylar, so Narcissa walks over and offers to hold the infant while I open my gift. When I've passed Skylar over to his grandmother I take the box from the tense-looking Goyle, and although I hadn't expected a gift from Draco, I can't help but become more and more excited as I slowly open it. Once I've torn through the paper and opened the box, however, I find nothing but tissue paper inside, and my eyebrows furrow once more. "Um, Goyle, is this some kind of joke or…" I begin, but he interrupts.

"He said to tell you it's what he wants you to wear on your wedding night," he says nervously.

"But Goyle, there's nothing in here," I reply, flipping the tissue paper over in front of him to prove my point.

"I know," he replies. "He said to tell you 'That's the point'." As soon as these words leave Goyle's mouth, Lucius starts laughing out loud from behind me, and Narcissa just gasps. There's also the sound of laughter coming from somewhere upstairs, which I assume to be Draco and/or Blaise. I stand there dumbfounded for a moment just listening to the laughter before the meaning of what's just been said dawns upon me, and I can feel my face turn a brilliant shade of red as I gasp loudly.

"Draco Lucius Malfoy!" I exclaim, looking towards the top of the stairs. Just seconds later, I see a red-faced Draco appear at the top with his broom in one hand and Blaise standing by his side. Blaise is laughing hysterically like Lucius is, but Draco seems a bit embarrassed and wary, though I can tell he's fighting laughter himself.

"I'm… I'm sorry, love," he says as he makes his way down the stairs slowly. "Blaise dared him… I… I didn't think he'd actually do it!" His eyes remain on me as he says this and continues to walk downstairs, as though he's worried about what my response will be, but the smile that's playing on the edge of his lips lets me know he's still trying his hardest not to laugh.

"Well if it was such of a spur-of-the-moment dare, why did you already have the box?" Narcissa asks somewhat sternly.

"I didn't," Draco replies, shifting his gaze to his mother. "Blaise did."

Narcissa and I both cast curious looks at Blaise at this point, who is slowly making his way downstairs behind Draco. Our looks seem to ask him if what Draco's saying is true, and, still laughing, he nods his head in agreement. At this point, Lucius, who seems to finally be regaining some of his composure, walks over and places a hand on both mine and Narcissa's shoulders. "Come on, girls," he says brightly, "it's just a bit of fun."

Blaise starts laughing even harder at this for some reason, and I quickly look up at him and say, "You do remember that I'm pretty good friends with your girlfriend, right?" His laughter suddenly stops at this and he gives me a fearful look, which causes everyone else in the room, myself and Narcissa included, to laugh heartily.

He and Draco have reached the bottom of the stairs at this point, and when the laughing stops, the men begin to file out of the Manor's front door. With one quick, final kiss and hug to Narcissa and me, Lucius and Draco follow them outside and towards the back yard, carrying their broomsticks with them. "Well dear," Narcissa says after the door has closed behind them, "are you ready for your Bridal Shower?" I'm unable to keep an excited smile from spreading across my face as I look over at my almost Mother-in-law, and she returns the smile.

"Yes, I'm ready," I reply a moment later. I take a deep breath to prepare myself and then start walking towards the Drawing Room door with Narcissa hot on my heels, but before I reach the open double doors, I hear my name being called softly from somewhere over to my left. I furrow my eyebrows in confusion and glance in that direction to find a small feminine figure standing in the shadow created by the walls and windows. It takes a moment for my eyes to adjust to what I'm seeing, but a moment later I realize who I'm staring at: Ginny. She has an unreadable expression on her face, and I can tell that's she's nervous and uncomfortable; she looks lost and out-of-place. I already know that her discomfort has been caused by the awkward situation that happened with Harry not too long ago, and it pains me to see my friend in such pain. I smile and rush over and pull her into a hug in an effort to calm her nerves and assure her that she _does_ belong here, and she seems a little taken aback by my warm greeting.

"I'm so glad you came!" I tell her as I release her from the hug. "Did Hermione give you my message?"

"Yes," she replies, "but Jayde, are you _sure _you want me here? I mean, after what I did, how can you forgive me? I…" I choose this moment to interrupt, because I know where this conversation is going and I refuse for it to take that route.

"Because there's nothing to forgive," I reply simply. "You were hurting, and you didn't know what to do. Yes, I do wish you hadn't hidden my letter; that would have prevented that whole blowup between Draco and Harry. But you're my best friend!" At this, Ginny finally smiles and her eyes well up with tears. "Now can we stop talking about all this letter nonsense and get into my Bridal Shower?" I continue. Ginny just nods her head in response, and I embrace my friend once more. She and I remain locked in our hug for a few moments and I come dangerously close to crying, but then Narcissa clears her throat before interrupting our warm moment.

"Come on girls," she says with a smile, "the other guests are waiting!" Ginny and I immediately release each other and smile, and Ginny quickly wipes her eyes before entering the Drawing Room to take her seat. She is followed closely by Narcissa, who is still holding Skylar, and I walk in just a moment later.

I am once again amazed by Narcissa's thoughtful planning when I enter the room, and I gasp to see all the beautiful decorations done in the wedding's colors, purple and green. My heart swells with pride and excitement as I look at the large letter "M" adorning many of the decorations, and all of the guests "Aww" and clap at my reaction to the extravagant party Narcissa has coordinated. To ensure that there isn't a dull moment in the day, Narcissa hands Skylar over to Draco's grandmother almost immediately, and she begins the long list of activities she's been planning for today. By the time that lunch is over, my guests and I have all played games, laughed, sang, danced, and eaten lots of delicious food, and I have received _tons _of wonderful gifts, including a few nightdresses and other garments which are intended for the wedding night.

I laugh nervously and blush each time I receive one of these gifts, but the most pronounced reaction I have to a gift comes at the very end of the gift-opening, when Narcissa hands me a package that she says is from Draco. Remembering the incident with Blaise and Goyle earlier, I become a bit wary and insist on opening the gift in private, but Narcissa ensures me that this isn't a trick, this is Draco's _actual_ gift to me. Still somewhat concerned, I begin tearing off the wrapping paper carefully, which reveals a medium-sized white box.

When I lift the box's lid, I gasp loudly and drop the lid on the floor, covering my mouth with my right hand as my eyes bulge down at the gift resting inside its' box on my lap. I am staring down at a familiar-looking, brilliant silver tiara that is absolutely _covered _with diamonds, and each time the light hits one of the diamonds it creates a tiny rainbow of color. I recognize the tiara immediately; I saw it in a wedding catalog that Narcissa showed me one day.

Having seen my reaction, the party guests all excitedly urge me to take the gift out of its box and show it to them, but I'm still in such complete shock that I can barely hear them. When I finally snap out of it a few moments later, I gently ease a shaking hand down into the box to lift the tiara from its resting place, afraid that if I move too quickly, I'll ruin it. In fact, I'm halfway afraid to touch it, because I don't want my fingers smudging the sparkling silver. Thankfully, Narcissa sees how much trouble I'm having and she reaches down into the box, carefully lifting the tiara and placing it on top of my head.

The party guests "Ooh" and "Aah" at the sight of the tiara, and I become very still because I'm so paranoid that I'm going to ruin this very beautiful and expensive gift Draco has given me. An enormous smile spreads across my face and tears well up in my eyes, and Pansy's mother starts questioning Narcissa about the origin of the tiara. "Did he pick it out by himself, Narcissa, or did you help him?" she asks.

Instead of answering herself, Narcissa looks down at me, as if to ask if I'd like to answer Mrs. Parkinson. "I saw it in a catalog one day," I reply a moment later in an awed voice. "Draco asked if I'd like it, and I told him it was too expensive." Each of the guests smiles when I finish speaking.

"Well he obviously didn't think so," Mrs. Parkinson replies, which causes everyone to burst out laughing.

With that, all of the chatter that had been going on prior to my opening of Draco's gift starts back up, and I smile to see how well everyone is getting along… I assume it's because they don't want Draco to have to intervene like he did at my Baby Shower. I survey the heart-warming sight for a moment before slowly removing the tiara from my head and placing it safely back in its box. Since my guests are all distracted with their chit-chat, I figure that there's no time better than the present to go thank Draco for my gift.

Quickly, before Narcissa can stop me, I push myself out of my seat and leave the Drawing Room, exiting through the Manor's front door in near-record time. I proceed down the steps and make my way around the side of the house, at which point I can see Draco and the other men flying flawlessly through the clear January sky. I decide not to make my presence known until I've reached the back yard, however, and I come to a halt directly beneath where the men are flying towards their makeshift goalposts. I realize that yelling to get Draco's attention would probably be fruitless since he's so high in the air, so I direct my thoughts towards him instead.

_Could you come down here for a second, love? _I ask. I watch as Draco stops flying in midair and looks around for a moment, and when he spots me on the ground his eyebrows furrow and he darts down towards me without bothering to answer.

When he's at ground level he dismounts his broom just in front of me, and he immediately takes hold of my shoulders and asks breathlessly, "What's wrong? They're not fighting again are they?" I don't bother to answer. Instead, I take a couple of small steps closer to him, and then, without warning, I fling my arms around his neck and pull him into a passionate kiss.

Draco seems surprised and taken aback at first, but then he begins responding to my kisses just seconds later. I can hear the other men laughing and whistling at our public display of affection, but I pay them no mind and continue snogging my fiancé like there's no tomorrow. When Draco and I finally stop kissing a short while later, I keep my arms wrapped around his neck and he opens his eyes and gives me an excited and awed look.

A heart-melting smile spreads across his handsome face, and he quietly says, "I take it you liked your gift?" When I simply smile and nod my head in response, he says "Good" quickly and then pulls me in for another quick kiss. We separate again just a moment later, however, realizing that we both should get back to what we were doing. But just as I turn to walk back into the Bridal Shower, Draco grabs my arm and gently pulls me back towards him. I think he's going to kiss me again, but instead, he pulls me close and whispers in my ear, "I still think you should wear that other gift on our wedding night, though… the one Blaise had Goyle give you." Shaking my head at his sense of humor, I laugh and kiss him lightly before making my way back around the house for the rest of my Bridal Shower.


	13. Chapter 13 Getting Ready

After my temporary escape to thank Draco for my gift, the rest of the Bridal Shower goes off without a hitch. My guests and I all play more of Narcissa's bridal shower games until well after dark, at which point the men come inside from their nearly day-long Quidditch match. Everyone at the Manor, both men and women, are exhausted from the day's activities. Therefore, the party breaks up not long after the men have entered, with everyone retiring to their homes to pour themselves into bed for a good nights' rest.

The Malfoys and I are no exception; the moment the last guest has left, we all begin the seemingly endless walk upstairs to our respective bedrooms. After putting a tired and grumpy Skylar to bed, Draco and I lay in bed, both of us very thankful that we don't have to get up and rush around tomorrow. But Narcissa, it seems, has other plans. She wakes Draco and I _much _earlier than I would have liked, and I'm curious to find that she's in a frenzy even worse than the one she was in yesterday morning. My tired ears find it hard to understand everything she's saying, but from what I can tell she keeps going on and on about how the wedding is only a month away. She insists that if we don't get started right away, we'll never have things ready on time for the big day.

So reluctantly and _very _groggily, Draco and I get out of bed in order to help his mother with the preparations. We spend nearly all day on Sunday in Diagon Alley shopping for various items, and by the time we get home, we have no energy to do anything except sleep. And, much to our dismay, things continue on this way for the next few weeks as the wedding date quickly approaches. Draco and Lucius are spared from much of the wedding preparations since they have to work, but once they get home, Narcissa puts them to work on various tasks, such as ensuring that the back yard is in top condition, since that's where the ceremony will take place. This rush of activity fills every day at the Manor, and it isn't long before Draco and I begin to wonder how much more we can take. But in addition to the flurry of activity, there's also a growing air of excitement in the Manor, which seems to double in intensity each day that we move closer to the "BIG" day.

This excitement can be seen on all the faces of the various people who come to the Manor, the faces of Draco and his parents, and even the faces of the maids and house elves who are helping with the preparations. It can be felt in the room during various meetings with the groomsmen and bridesmaids, as well as other members of the wedding party, as Narcissa explains to them how the ceremony will be organized for the fifteen-millionth time. And, perhaps most importantly, the excitement can be felt in the few precious moments before falling asleep, when Draco and I are alone together. Instead of talking until we fall asleep now, we simply lay in bed cuddled up, looking into each other's eyes and smiling widely. These moments are short-lived, since both of us are exhausted, but they make all the stress and frustration well worth it, and remind us of just what it is that we're working so hard for.

This combination of frantic scrambling and excitement carries us through the end of January, and into the first week of February. And then, before we know it, the week of the wedding is upon us. Draco and Lucius have taken the week off of work to help Narcissa and I prepare for the wedding, and, although we're now even _busier_, if that were even possible, Draco and I find it impossible to remove the smiles from our faces.

On the Wednesday just _five days_ before the wedding, which will be held the following Monday, Draco's family members arrive to help with the last-minute preparations and decorations. His grandmother, Aunt Tracy, Uncle Maximus, and their two children Damon and Diane take up temporary lodging in the many various extra rooms of the Manor. And, although the house is certainly big enough to contain the extra people comfortably, having so many people around still makes things a bit more difficult and awkward… especially when those people are constantly running around checking on various things. But, having Draco's family around _does _help us complete the necessary preparations, and Draco's grandmother looks after Skylar, Damon and Diane, temporarily freeing the rest of us from at least one of our concerns.

As the week progresses, many other of the female wedding guests or participants, including Mrs. McGreggor, Hermione, Ginny, Pansy and Marie, show up to help with various household tasks and the beginning of the back yard's decoration process. With them they bring the news that Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic, has agreed to allow anyone who is participating in or coming to mine and Draco's wedding to have that day off of work. The thought once again crosses my mind that it's nice to have friends in high places, and a part of me wonders if Lucius might have had something to do with this. Judging by the sheer joy on Narcissa's face when she hears the news, however, she and Lucius either had nothing to do with it, or she's the best actress ever.

As soon as she realizes that none of the wedding's guests or participants will have to work that day, she immediately begins plotting to move the wedding up from its formerly planned time, six p.m., so that Draco and I can have what she refers to as "the perfect afternoon backyard wedding". By the time her plotting and rearranging is done, the wedding is set for two p.m. on the following Monday. And although that only decreases the amount of time remaining to prepare by four hours, we all begin to feel as though it's just been moved forward by a week.

The rushing around we've been doing up to this point is _nothing _compared to the racing that's going on in the Manor now, and our days are filled from the time the sun rises until the time we all fall into bed still fully dressed, too tired to even bother changing into our pajamas. On Sunday, the day before the wedding, Narcissa holds a rehearsal for all of the wedding party. She once again goes over where everyone should stand, only this time she actually takes them out to the back yard and makes them stand in their place, instead of just telling them where there place is. Once she has done so, the Malfoys and I, along with the bridesmaids, groomsmen, flower girl, ring bearer, and the Ministry official who will be performing the wedding, all go through a step-by-step run-through of the wedding, including the musical cues that will be played by a band that Narcissa hired.

The rest of the wedding party does an outstanding job remembering when to move and where to stand, but Draco and I constantly miss our cues, which earns us disgruntled comments from his mother. The problem _isn't _that we don't care or that we don't _know _when our cues are; we're simply so caught up in all the excitement that all we can seem to do is stare at each other and smile, even if we're on opposite sides of the yard. Somehow, though, we manage to make it through the rehearsal, at which point the entire wedding party goes into the Dining Room for an extravagant dinner that Narcissa has put together. Everyone laughs and jokes during the dinner, and immediately after everyone's finished, Narcissa shoos them all, practically ordering them to go home and go straight to bed so that they can be back at the Manor and ready to go bright and early the next morning… even though the wedding doesn't begin until two in the afternoon.

Once all of the guests have left the Manor, Draco and I go upstairs and put Skylar to sleep, after which we immediately go into our room to start getting ready for bed. As soon as we've finished and start pulling back the covers on our bed, however, Narcissa walks into the room with an incredulous look on her face. "What do you two think you're doing?" she asks with her eyebrows raised dangerously close to her hairline. Draco and I look her for a moment, confounded, and then we quickly look at each other curiously for a moment before returning our gaze to Narcissa.

"What do you mean, 'what are we doing', Mum?" Draco asks.

"You two can't sleep together tonight!" she exclaims, acting as though Draco and I should already know this bit of information.

"What? Why not?" Draco asks.

"Because you're getting married tomorrow!" his mother immediately responds. "It's bad luck for the groom to see the bride on their wedding day until they're actually _at _the wedding! And if you sleep in here and the two of you _wake up_ next to each other, that would _certainly _be seeing her before the wedding!"

Draco lets out a low chuckle at this, but his chuckling stops when he realizes that his mother isn't laughing. "Oh come on Mum," he says matter-of-factly. "Don't tell me you actually believe that."

"Whether I believe it or not isn't the question," Narcissa replies. "The point is, it's an age-old tradition. I didn't see your father on our wedding day _until _the wedding, and you and Jayde aren't going to either."

My heart drops when these words leave Narcissa's lips, because I can tell that she's serious about this. I can't remember the last time that I slept without Draco beside me, nor do I want to. But I realize just how much Narcissa has done for Draco and me and our wedding, so I keep my mouth closed. Draco, however, has become deadly serious now that he realizes his mother is _actually _going to try and make us sleep separately.

"That's just ridiculous!" he says half-angrily. "Jayde and I have a _son _together… you can't _seriously _expect us to sleep apart!"

"I don't _expect _it, Draco," Narcissa replies. "I _demand_ it. I've let the two of you share a room before you were married, and I didn't have to. All I'm asking for here is a little consideration. It really means a great deal to me that you and Jayde keep this tradition… it's important."

My eyes remain locked on the floor throughout this exchange, because I feel more than a little bit awkward being in the middle of, as well as the partial _subject _of, an argument between Draco and Narcissa. Draco and Narcissa, however, don't seem to feel this same level of awkwardness. "But-", Draco begins, but his voice trails off as his father enters the room and comes to stand at his mother's side.

A defeated look crosses Draco's face, and I realize that it's because he knows better than to argue with his father. Lucius, seeming to sense this, along with the tension in the room, speaks up, being much more thoughtful and understanding than I expect. "Son, I know you and Jayde aren't used to sleeping apart any more, but it's just _one _night," he says. "And I was in your shoes before… I know not being able to see Jayde on the morning that you're getting married sounds terrible. But trust me, son, it will be worth it when you get to watch Jayde walk down the aisle tomorrow in that beautiful dress of hers. I know right now that _one _night seems like a lifetime, but you're getting married tomorrow… the two of you will have the rest of your lives to make up for it. Now stop arguing with your mother about it. Go give your fiancé a kiss goodnight, and let's go."

"Where am I sleeping?" Draco asks, sounding deflated.

"On the second floor in the room next to your mother and me," Lucius replies.

"The _second floor?"_ Draco asks incredulously.

"Yes," his father replies, "and we're going to place a charm on the door to this bedroom as well, so that if you try to sneak in here while your mother and I are sleep, we'll know about it."

My heart sinks even lower in my chest when Lucius says this, because, if the truth is told, from the moment Narcissa said that we'd have to sleep in separate rooms I've been thinking to myself that Draco can just sneak back into our bedroom later. I venture a look up at Draco to gauge his reaction and find that he's blushing slightly and he looks irritated. Finally, seeming to find no way out of this situation, he breaks the angry gaze he's had locked on his parents. "Fine," he mutters. Then he shifts his gaze over in my direction and his angry appearance changes to one of sadness and despair; I can tell that he doesn't want us to spend the night apart any more than I do. Still though, a part of me wonders if the two of us are being unreasonable… after everything Draco's parents have done for us, we're upset because they want us to sleep separately just this _one _night?

As Draco begins to make his way around the bed to give me a goodnight kiss, I can't help but note that he looks like a chicken being led to a slaughterhouse, and I wonder what he's thinking. Without another word or glance directed at his parents, he walks up to me and places his hands on my waist, pulling me in close to him. "I'm sorry, love," he says quietly, staring down into my eyes intently.

"It's okay," I reply, trying to reassure him with a tender look. "Your father's right; it will all be worth it tomorrow. You'll see." I flash him what I hope is a reassuring smile in a further effort to soothe him, but I can tell that it isn't working, though he tries to hide it.

"I love you," he says softly.

"I love you, too," I reply. And then, without another word, Draco gives me a quick kiss on the forehead and turns to walk out of the room. He is escorted by his parents, who quickly bid me goodnight before leaving the room, and his abrupt departure makes me worry that perhaps he's angry at _me _for something I said. I begin to contemplate what I could have said wrong as I hear Lucius performing some sort of spell on mine and Draco's bedroom door, but I don't have to wonder long.

Though I can no longer _see _Draco, I _hear _him say _I'll be back _just as clearly as if he were standing beside me through our love bond, and the smallest of smiles spreads across my face. I take comfort in the thought that Draco isn't angry with me and that he's going to do everything in his power to get back into our room without getting caught, but I also become nervous about what might happen if he _did _get caught. In fact, I become _so _nervous about it that I feel the need to warn him… I wouldn't want him to go upsetting his parents just before our wedding.

_Are you sure that's a good idea? _I ask him through our mental connection. _You heard what your father said about bewitching the door, and I just heard him cast some sort of spell on it. _

_It'll be fine, love_, he replies immediately, _I'll remove the spell once I get up there_.

My heart flutters with hope at these words, and I quickly slide into bed and curl up under the covers feeling relaxed and assured that Draco will join me as soon as he can. I lie in bed, wide awake, for what seems like an eternity, and I begin to wonder just _how _soon that will be. In an effort to pass the time I start thinking about all of tomorrow's various activities, and a bubble of excitement begins to build up inside me. That excitement, however, is accompanied by a strong nervous feeling, and unfortunately the nervousness is the stronger of the two emotions. I'm not even sure _why _I'm nervous, but that doesn't stop the emotion from being present. I begin to realize that there's _no way _I'm going to be able to sleep tonight, _especially _if Draco isn't here to hold me and calm my nerves. A part of me wonders if I'll even be able to sleep if Draco _does_ somehow manage to sneak back into the bedroom, and just as I begin to think that it's been an awfully long time since Draco left the room in the company of his parents, I hear his voice inside my head once more.

_Come to the door, darling_, he says quietly.

My heart flutters in anticipation and I fling the covers off of myself, pushing myself up on to my feet. _Did you already remove the jinx your father used? _I ask.

_No, _Draco replies sullenly. _My father took my bloody wand. I think he knew what I was planning_.

_Well what are we going to do?_ I ask, confused as to why Draco wants me to come to the door if we can't open it without being caught.

_I… I don't know, love_, Draco replies. _I thought maybe we could try to at least hold hands underneath the door, but the slot underneath the door isn't big enough for that. Maybe… maybe if we can just hear each other's voices, that'll work. _

I am deeply touched by Draco's words, and I come to rest on my knees right next to the bedroom door, feeling a bit like a naughty child out of bed on Christmas Eve. I feel more than a little ridiculous as I whisper, "Can you hear me?"

"Yes, I can hear you, love," Draco whispers in response. When he does, I'm surprised to find that, although I still wish I could actually _see _him, hearing his voice _does _help to calm me. I exhale loudly and turn so that I'm sitting cross-legged with my back against the door, and a moment later I feel the tiniest of movements in the door which suggests to me that Draco's just done the same thing.

"Did you just sit down up against the door?" I ask. The quiet laughter I hear coming from the other side of the door gives me all of the answer I need. This laughter is followed by a short period of silence, during which I sit there with my back leaning against the white wooden door, staring blankly into our bedroom and the abandoned bed in front of me. A moment later, I hear Draco start speaking again.

"Are you excited?" he asks.

"Yeah," I reply immediately, smiling and laughing softly as I do so. We fall silent again for a few moments after this, and much to my amazement I begin to feel my eyelids getting heavy, which is a major change from the nerve-induced insomnia I was feeling just a short while ago; it truly is a testament to just how much safer and more relaxed I feel when Draco is near. My head begins to feel heavy as well a few moments later, and I lean backward and rest it on the door. Draco speaks as soon as I do this, almost as if on cue.

"Are you tired, darling?" he asks.

"Mhmm," I mumble quietly.

"Well then you should get back into bed… I don't want you falling asleep down here on the floor," he replies.

"No," I stubbornly answer immediately. "I want to be close to you."

Though it's barely audible, Draco chuckles slightly at this, and we fall into a sleepy, excited silence once more. Without even realizing it, I begin to drift off to sleep, and the last thing I hear before all of my senses abandon me for the evening is Draco quietly whispering, "I love you, Mrs. Malfoy."

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><p><strong>Author's Note: Surprise! :) I meant to post this chapter right around Christmas as a gift to you all, but as you can tell, life got in the way. But I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas andor Happy Holidays! I know my updates lately have been dreadfully few and far between, but I really hope this makes up for it! What do you think? We're getting _awfully _close to the wedding now; are you excited? Please review!**


	14. Chapter 14 The BIG Day

**Author's Note: ****Before I let you all delve into this chapter, I want to take this time to apologize (as usual). I know it has been a _ridiculous_ amount of time since my last update, and I'm sorry to keep you all waiting like that. This is a fairly long chapter, and I hope that at least somewhat makes up for the wait. I'm now officially (finally) out of Uni for the summer, and I plan on using this time to get absolutely as much writing done as I possibly can, so that I have a backlog of chapters waiting to be posted. I want to thank you all for reading, reviewing, favoriting, and sticking with me and this story; I can't tell you how much I appreciate it. With all that being said, I hope you enjoy, and please review!**

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><p>When I wake the next morning, I'm aware of three things immediately. The first thing is that Draco and I are getting married today, the second is that my entire body is aching, and the third thing I'm aware of is that there are two voices quietly whispering somewhere nearby. Once my groggy brain begins to focus, I'm able to listen in and understand whose voices they are and what they're saying.<p>

"Oh Lucius!" Narcissa says with joy, "It's so sweet!" Her husband chuckles at her statement.

"We should have known this is what we'd find when we woke up," he responds a moment later. "Honestly, I'm surprised they didn't find a way to get the door open."

"Me too," Narcissa replies, "but its better that they didn't. It'll keep them from having bad luck, and it'll make it even _more _special when they see each other this afternoon."

A momentary silence of agreement passes between the two of them as I continue listening, and then Narcissa urges Lucius to wake Draco so that he can have his breakfast and start preparing for the wedding. I continue to listen as Draco wakes up, slightly confused about where he is and why he's sleeping in the third floor hallway, and when his father finally helps him to his feet and the two of them begin walking downstairs, I hear Narcissa muttering a spell to un-jinx the bedroom door, but the thought never occurs to my sleepy mind that I need to move out of the way so that Narcissa can enter the room.

When my almost mother-in-law pushes the door forward gently and feels it hit my back, she laughs out loud. Then she knocks on the door in three short raps before calling out to me. "Jayde, dear," she says loudly, "I need you to wake up and move so that I can get in your room." Every muscle in my body is stiff from my recent sleep against the door _and _the floor, which causes me to move slowly and grudgingly at Narcissa's request. When I've moved far enough that she can enter the room, however, the way she smiles at me and calls out, "Good morning, Mrs. Malfoy," makes me forget every bit of soreness and tiredness that I feel. "Well dear," she says brightly, "are you ready to get married?"

I can feel my entire face light up at this, and I simply nod my head in agreement as millions of butterflies begin to flutter through both my stomach and my heart. "Good then," she says. "I'm going to go downstairs and bring you up some breakfast while you get your shower… your bridesmaids and maid of honor will be here soon to start helping you get ready!" Without another word she turns and leaves the room, and though I'm slightly disappointed, I can't help but laugh when I hear her re-casting the locking spell she and Lucius used last night on the bedroom door; she clearly has no intention of letting Draco and I see each other for even_ one second _before the wedding.

I stand in one spot for a moment, just shaking my head and chuckling to myself about Narcissa's precautionary measures, but then I realize that I've got to hurry up and get my shower so that I can start getting ready; it's bound to be a _long_ process. Before I've even taken two steps towards the bathroom, though, I hear Draco's voice in my head, asking softly, _Are you awake?_

My heart feels as though it might burst with excitement and I smile as I reply, _Yes, I'm awake, love._

_I miss you,_ Draco replies immediately, making me sincerely wish that I could just run downstairs and into his arms. This is the longest amount of time we've been apart in quite a while, and I'm certain that Draco doesn't like it any more than I do, especially not since we're getting married in just a few short hours.

_I miss you, too, _I reply. I continue walking towards the bathroom as I wait for Draco to respond, but when he doesn't I assume it's because his mother and/or father are urging him to hurry up and eat his breakfast so that he can get ready.

When I reach the bathroom I start peeling off my pajamas and turn on the hot water, and as I'm showering a few moments later I hear Narcissa re-enter the bedroom. I quickly finish rinsing my hair and turn off the water, drying myself off with a towel before pulling my dressing gown on. Then, upon Narcissa's insistence, I hurry into the bedroom and take a seat on the sofa at the end of mine and Draco's bed before quickly gulping down the breakfast Narcissa's brought me.

As soon as I've finished eating, Narcissa summons Pinky to come take the empty plate and glass downstairs, and then she immediately goes to fetch my wedding dress from her room, where she's kept it to ensure that Draco wouldn't see it before the wedding. When she returns, I'm surprised and excited to see that my friends are with her; Hermione, Ginny, Marie, and Mrs. McGreggor have all arrived at the _very early _designated time so that they can get ready and then help me to do so. Each woman has arrived in regular clothes, having brought their dresses along in plastic bags. After placing their dresses on the bed gently, each woman rushes forward and pulls me into an excited hug, going on and on about how exciting this all is. Mrs. McGreggor hugs me for a longer time than the other women, and when I hear her sniffles I can't help but start to cry along with her.

Seeing us cry causes Narcissa to start up, but she quickly recovers. "We've got to stop this nonsense or we'll _never _be ready on time!" she says quietly. We all chuckle at this and wipe the tears off of our cheeks, and then the crazy, insane rushing around and getting ready begins.

Each of the bridesmaids, along with Narcissa and Mrs. McGreggor, the Matron of Honor, dons her dress while I use my wand to dry my soaking-wet hair, which will be styled later. I then take a seat and watch as the five other women rush around, zipping up each other's dresses. When Draco's Aunt Tracy enters the room a short while later with her daughter Diane, a couple of the women help Diane into her Flower Girl's dress while the rest style their hair and do their makeup. I sit back and watch all the craziness going on around me, feeling nervous and excited, and, although it actually takes them all quite a while to get ready, the other women are finished before I know it.

When the last woman's hair and makeup are finished, Narcissa looks at me with an enormous smile on her face and announces, "It's your turn now, Jayde!" I can't help but smile widely at this, and the other women in the room practically squeal with delight as I get off of the bed and step into the bathroom. I close the door behind me and quickly slip out of my dressing gown before donning my undergarments, and then, feeling slightly awkward and embarrassed, I open the door to allow everyone in the bathroom with me.

As Hermione, Ginny, Marie, and Mrs. McGreggor help me into my gorgeous wedding gown, I hear a knock at the bedroom door, which Narcissa rushes to answer. My heart drops into my chest and I silently wonder if it might be Draco, trying to appeal to his mother's better nature in the hopes that she'll allow him to see me for just a moment. When I hear Narcissa's response to the person at the door, however, I realize that's not the case. "Well who is it?" Narcissa asks in a confused tone. I'm unable to hear the response she receives from the person outside the door, but my curiosity is peaked, as is that of every other woman in the bathroom with me, when Narcissa says, "They absolutely may _not _come up here".

As soon as my wedding gown has been pulled up and zipped, I lift the skirt and slowly walk into the bedroom with furrowed eyebrows, staring at Narcissa's puzzled expression with concern. "Is everything all right?" I ask, walking up to stand on her left side. As I do so, I notice that the person standing at the door is one of the Malfoys' maids, and she looks afraid.

"Yes dear, everything's fine," Narcissa replies, patting me on the shoulder. "This silly maid was just hoodwinked by some stranger downstairs who claims to know you. A reporter, no doubt, trying to snap some pre-wedding photos of you." Then, as though her words have brought a memory back to Narcissa, she gasps loudly. "Oh!" she exclaims. "Speaking of pre-wedding photos, where's the camera? I've got to get some shots of both you and Draco getting ready!" She shoos the maid with her hands and prepares to leave the bedroom in order to locate the camera, but I stop her.

"Wait, Narcissa," I say, lightly taking hold of her hand to keep her from walking away. "Who is downstairs and claims they know me?"

Seeming confused, Narcissa turns to face me and replies, "I told you dear, it's probably just some reporter." That answer, however, won't work for me.

"How did they say they know me?" I ask.

"Something about Ireland," is Narcissa's only response.

"Ireland?" I ask, feeling more and more puzzled by the second.

"Yes, dear. But like I said, it's probably just a hoax, don't worry about it. You just wait here, and I'll be right back with the camera".

At this, I release Narcissa's hand and watch as she walks off, but I'm far too curious to let this thing rest… for some reason I desperately want to know who is downstairs asking to see me. I wait by the door for Narcissa to return with the camera, and as soon as she does I inform her that I'd like for the stranger downstairs to be allowed up to my room, just to settle my own curiosity. My Mother-In-Law to be seems very wary and doesn't like the idea, but she agrees at my insistence and walks downstairs to escort them up. While she's gone, the other women help me take a seat at the vanity in the bedroom, and as they're smoothing out my dress and preparing to start my hair and makeup, the bedroom door opens. I hear Narcissa say pointedly, "You'll have to make this fast… Jayde's got to finish getting ready", and I anxiously turn to see who's been downstairs asking to see me.

I watch as Narcissa leads a very pretty, well-dressed young woman enter the room; she looks to be about my age or slightly younger. She appears to be about my height, with platinum blonde hair, green eyes, and dark cherry lips, and I'm immediately struck by the feeling that I've seen her somewhere before; she looks _very _familiar. All the other women in the room stop what they're doing and stare at her, but her eyes immediately seek out mine as Narcissa closes the bedroom door behind her. The look my almost-Mother-In-Law gives the girl clearly says that she still doesn't believe that this isn't a reporter, but I'm certain that she isn't… although I can't place exactly where I know her from.

"Hello, Jayde," the blonde says, with a huge smile on her face.

"Hi", I reply, immediately getting to my feet. I turn to face the newcomer, and slowly walk towards her. When we're standing a short distance apart, I stop. I try not to stare at her, but I find it to be nearly impossible… _I know _that I've seen her somewhere before. I stand there contemplating it for a moment, but she speaks, interrupting my mental scavenger hunt.

"Do you remember me?" she asks, seeming to sense my confusion.

I blush before I answer, "No, but you look _so familiar_". I feel more than a bit embarrassed at not recognizing her as I speak, but she just laughs it off.

"It's okay," she says, "it's been a while since you've seen me." She's about to continue speaking, but Mrs. McGreggor interrupts her.

"Aren't you one of the children from the orphanage?" she asks from her spot next to the vanity.

The girl blushes as she nods, and suddenly, it all comes flooding back to me. This girl, this gorgeous young woman in front of me, is one of the younger children from the orphanage I grew up in. "Wait… Riley? Are you Riley Bonnie Maiyer?" I ask, my eyes bulging. She blushes and nods her head once more, and once she confirms my suspicion I gasp and rush forward, pulling her into an excited hug. I come dangerously close to tears of surprise as I stand there hugging Riley, and when I pull away from her a moment later I rest my hands on her shoulders and begin bombarding her with a thousand questions. "How is this possible? How are you here… how did you find me? Are you a witch, too?"

She tries to keep up and answer all of my questions, but in my excitement I continue spouting them out so quickly that she finds that task to be an impossible one. Instead, she waits patiently for me to finish speaking, and when I've practically run out of air, she begins. "Not long after you got sent off to Dunamase, I got a letter from Beauxbatons, a wizards' school in France" she explains. Once we found out I was a witch, Ms. Fitzpatrick told me that you were, too. I wanted to talk to you about it, but our school breaks never seemed to line up. And then you got sent to Hogwarts and, well… you know what happened then."

There's a slight twinge in my heart as I remember the incident Riley's referring to, Ms. Fitzpatrick's death, but I'm more overwhelmed at learning that one of the other children in the orphanage turned out to be a witch. I think back to the time Riley and I spent at the orphanage together, and as I consider it, I now clearly remember not seeing Riley the last few times I was at the orphanage. I also think back to our childhood, and how, although most of the other children there didn't want anything to do with me, Riley had always been friendly. This reminiscence is short-lived, however, because I still have far too many unanswered questions.

"So, how did you find me?" I ask. "How did you find out I was getting married today?"

"Well, actually, my boyfriend is a friend of yours; he told me," she responds.

"Who is your boyfriend?" I ask.

"Neville Longbottom," she replies shyly.

My jaw nearly hits the bedroom floor as I try to process what she's just said, and I hear Hermione and Ginny gasp as well. It takes me a moment to recuperate, but as soon as I do I immediately say, "Wait… _you're _Neville's girlfriend? No way! This is just _too _amazing; you two are absolutely _perfect_ for each other!"

"Thank you," Riley replies, smiling widely.

"How did you two meet?" I ask, astonished at how small the world can be sometimes.

"Well, I moved to England after I finished at Beauxbatons," she replies, "and I was in Diagon Alley with a friend one day when Neville walked by and dropped his wand. It sent a curse straight at me; I just missed it. Neville came over to apologize and, well… we started talking." Myself, Hermione and Ginny all "Aww" at the story and say how romantic it is, causing Riley to blush even more. "When Neville told me he had a friend who was getting married, I asked who it was," she continues. "And as soon as he said 'Jayde Newsome' I absolutely lost it! I told him to ask if it was okay for me to come to the wedding… but I didn't want him to tell you who I was, I wanted it to be a surprise."

"Well it certainly is; I'm so glad to see you!" I exclaim. I wrap Riley in a hug once more, and as soon as I let go I open my mouth to speak, but Narcissa walks over, preventing me from doing so.

"I'm sorry to interrupt your reunion, Jayde," she says with a smile, "but you've really got to finish getting ready… there's only a few hours left."

As soon as Narcissa says this, my heart drops into my stomach; in my excitement I'd nearly forgotten that I'm _getting married_ in just a few short hours. I feel terrible, because I know I need to finish getting ready for my wedding, but I'd _love _to continue catching up with Riley as well; I'm torn between the two. Riley, trying to make the situation easier, offers to go downstairs and wait with Neville; she says we can catch up later. Narcissa, however, won't have any of it; she insists that, if I'd like, Riley can stay along with the other girls and help me get ready, and both Riley and I find that to be an agreeable arrangement.

Riley, Hermione, Ginny, Marie, and Mrs. McGreggor immediately set to work on my makeup and hair; Narcissa is far too busy taking pictures of the process and Draco's Aunt Tracy has already left the room with Diane, who quickly became bored with the grown-up conversation that was going on once her hair and makeup were finished. It takes nearly an hour of sitting still so that the women can do my makeup, and then nearly another hour of them pulling and tugging on my hair, but by the time they've finished, even _I _believe I look absolutely amazing. As Narcissa helps me don the jewelry that we've chosen for today, she and everyone else in the room keep talking about how beautiful I look, and how Draco's going to lose his mind when he sees me. I appreciate their comments, but it only serves to make me even more nervous than I was before, and I seriously begin to wonder if I'm going to throw up. This feeling continues to grow as the women hold up my wedding gown and help me into my shoes, after which Narcissa rushes from the room to make sure that everything and everyone is ready for the procession to start.

Although I wish she could stay and be a part of the wedding party despite her lack of a matching dress, Riley rushes downstairs behind Narcissa in order to find Neville and make sure they're both in their seats on time. When Narcissa returns about thirty minutes later and says that it's time to go downstairs, I find it hard to breathe. I try my best to mask my nerves with a smile as all the women and I make our way downstairs, but I can tell by the looks on their faces and the way they all keep reassuring me that everyone can see through my façade.

As we reach the Entrance Hall and meet up with Diane in her Flower Girl dress, I notice that the maids are all lined up outside, waiting to wish me luck as I make my way around to the back yard, and seeing them out there reminds me of something I'd completely forgotten about: the weather. It's early February, and when we planned the wedding I told Narcissa that I'd be able to use my powers to ensure that it wasn't too cold or rainy on the big day, but in all the excitement and rushing I've completely forgotten about it. I gasp and look up at the sky as we exit through the Manor's front door and am pleased to find that there's not a single cloud in the sky. Though it's fairly chilly, the day looks absolutely beautiful; I won't have to worry about the weather after all.

I breathe a sigh of relief about it as we stop just outside the door so that Marie and Mrs. McGreggor can lift the train of my dress to keep it from dragging along the steps or the ground, and as they do so, Narcissa walks around in front of me and pulls my veil down over my face. I notice a single tear building up in the corner of her left eye as she does so, but she manages to hold it in and simply asks, "Are you ready?" I take a deep breath before nodding my head at her, and we stare at each other smiling for a moment before making our way down the steps and around the Manor to the back yard.

As we turn around the side of the house I immediately start trying to find Draco, but we all have to stop and stand off to the left hand side of the aisle, and the large tent the Malfoys have had set up for the reception is blocking my view. Seeming to sense my disappointment, Mrs. McGreggor wraps her arm around me and tells me that I'll see him soon enough, and then she gives me a kiss on the cheek and tells me good luck before she and the bridesmaids make their way down the purple silk rug-aisle to the music, shortly behind Narcissa.

After waiting and handing Skylar off to his grandmother once she has taken her seat, Lucius comes down the aisle and walks up to me a moment later in his dress robes, smiling at me and telling me how beautiful I look and how lucky his son is as he extends his arm for me to take. I feel tears build up in my eyes as I take his arm, thinking how great it was of him to agree to give me away in the absence of my father, but he urges me to at least wait until I get to Draco before I start crying.

Right on cue, Diane begins making her way down the aisle as the music changes, throwing out light purple and mint green flower leaves every other step, and when she's made her way halfway down the aisle, everyone in the crowd stands up and turns around to watch for me to make my entrance. Lucius gently begins to lead me forward, and the two of us walk straight ahead a short distance before turning to the left so that we're standing directly facing the aisle.

As we turn, I nervously look up to the end of the aisle, where a small stage has been set up so that Draco and I can be seen by the entire audience. I immediately find Draco standing just below the stage, waiting to take my hand from his father. As I look up at him I notice nothing else outside; no decorations, no people, just him. Though there's quite a bit of space between us, our eyes meet, and by the look on his face I can tell that Draco is absolutely stunned by my appearance; my friends all did an amazing job. As I stare into those beautiful grey eyes every ounce of nervousness I'd felt vanishes, and an enormous smile spreads across my face, as well as his. My heart feels as though it's about to burst out of my chest, and just as Lucius and I take our first step down the aisle, tiny snowflakes to start falling from the sky; a testament to my uncontrollable happiness at this perfect moment.


	15. Chapter 15 The Guests

**Author's Note: Here it is! The chapter you have all been waiting _so long _for! Please review!**

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><p>Though it took what seemed like <em>ages <em>to plan, the wedding seems to start flying by. Before I know it, Lucius and I have reached the end of the aisle, and Lucius has given my hand over to his son. Draco and I can do nothing but stare into each other's eyes and smile as we make our way up the stage steps arm in arm.

When we've reached the top of the stage, Draco releases my arm and takes my hand instead, so that we can stand in our designated spots directly in front of the Ministry Official who will be performing the ceremony. I hear quite a few sniffles coming from the front row of the audience as the Official begins to speak. I assume they're coming from Narcissa and Mrs. McGreggor, but I'm unable to turn my head to look at them because I'm far too busy staring into Draco's gleaming eyes.

I can hear the Official reading off his required lines, about how everyone has gathered to witness mine and Draco's union, but his words seem superfluous to me – he's reading rather slowly, and I'm ready to be Draco's wife _right this instant_. I mentally scold myself for being so impatient and try to focus very hard on what the Official is saying. After all, this ceremony is an important part of our marriage, and it really is a lovely ceremony, with the gorgeous purple and mint green decorations and the tiny snowflakes still falling from the sky. This attempt at focusing, however, doesn't work – I'm just _so _ready to hear this man pronounce us man and wife.

I eventually give up on focusing on every little detail and decide to just smile through the impatience, paying just enough attention so that I'm ready when the time comes for me to say "I do". Draco and I continue to smile at each other and rub the fingers of our intertwined hands against each other as the Official talks about the sanctity of marriage and explains how a wizard's wife is his soul mate, his partner, and much more.

Although it's really only a short while later, it seems like hours before he reaches the vows, but when he does, Draco and I are ready for them. Immediately after the Official finishes his question to Draco about if he promises to love, honor, and cherish me for the rest of our lives, Draco says "I do," quickly, causing everyone in the audience, and the Ministry Official, to laugh. I can't help but chuckle, as well – it's obvious to me that Draco's just as impatient as I am.

Because I don't want my impatience to show, however, when the Official asks me the same question, I decide it best if I wait a couple of seconds before responding. As I say "I do" softly, my voice cracks slightly and I realize that my eyes are quickly filling with tears. I'm unsure of where these tears came from, because I haven't felt like I was near tears at all before now, but I realize that that's just a testament to how truly beautiful this tender moment is.

As soon as I finish speaking, the smile on Draco's face spreads even wider, and his eyes take on an even more excited look. The Official immediately begins explaining the tradition of wedding rings as our ring bearer makes his way forward, and I have to struggle to keep my composure as Draco and I exchange our rings; through my tears it's very hard for me to say the vow clearly. I manage to get the vow out and slide the ring on Draco's finger, however, and then the two of us look up at the Ministry Official as he says, "By the power vested in me by the British Ministry of Magic, I now pronounce you man and wife. Mr. Malfoy, you may kiss your bride."

Once these words leave his lips, Draco and I turn our attention to each other once again. Tears stream freely down my face as the two of us smile at each other in inexplicable joy for a moment, and then Draco releases my hands. He quickly takes a step over to me and wraps his arms around my waist, pulling me close to him before leaning down and pressing his lips against mine firmly, earning loud applause and cheers from the crowd of onlookers. We continue to kiss for quite a few moments, thoroughly enjoying our first snog session as husband and wife, and my heart feels as though it's about to beat out of my chest.

When we show no sign of stopping our kiss any time soon, Blaise loudly says, "Save it for tonight, Draco!" and the kiss immediately stops as my cheeks flush and I gasp with embarrassment. Draco looks behind him where the groomsmen are standing and seeks out his friend's face, giving him a death glare, but the audience just laughs raucously. When the laughter dies down, Draco takes my hand once more and leads me off of the stage steps to stand at the end of the aisle that Lucius walked me down just a short while ago. As we stand there, the entire audience gets to their feet and extends their wands, waiting for the right moment. And then, the Ministry Official says loudly, "Witches and Wizards, I give you Mr. and Mrs. Draco Malfoy!"

The crowd starts cheering and Draco and I look over at each other and smile excitedly, and then Draco asks me quickly, "Are you ready, love?"

"I think so," I respond with a nod, and then, as planned, my husband and I start running down the aisle. As we start to run, everyone in the audience who has their wand flicks it once, causing a seemingly never-ending spray of bubbles to stream out at Draco and me. We're unable to run very fast because I have to take care not to damage my wedding gown, and many of the bubbles land on our faces and in our hair. We laugh each time this happens, making it even harder to run, but we eventually reach the end of the aisle and escape the endless bubbles.

Immediately after we reach the end of the aisle, Narcissa and Lucius begin making their way down it, and as planned, Draco and I wait there for them to reach us. As they approach, I notice that there are tears flowing freely down Narcissa's face, and they've apparently blurred her vision because she has to hold on to Lucius' arm for support. As soon as the couple reaches us, Narcissa rushes forward and pulls me into a suffocating hug, and she starts sobbing loudly with her head leaning against my shoulder. Though I can't seem to get the huge smile off of my face, seeing Narcissa this way causes me to start crying once more, and it takes several moments for us to regain our composure.

Once we've released each other, though, Narcissa moves over to hug Draco, and Lucius walks over to me. One of his arms is full because he's carrying baby Skylar, but he uses the other arm to pull me into a quick hug. When he releases me, I extend my arms for him to hand Skylar to me, and when he does so, I pull my son close and hug him tightly. The three-month-old seems to be somewhat confused as to what's causing all this hugging and excitement, but he smiles and coos away, thoroughly enjoying it. We all stand like this for a moment, with me hugging Skylar close to me while Narcissa hugs Draco and sobs, but then Lucius reminds us all that the reception will start soon and that we've got to take pictures of the wedding party beforehand.

Once she hears this, Narcissa gets straight back to business, in true Narcissa fashion, and waves her hand towards the groomsmen, signaling for them to start ushering our guests to their seats in the giant tent nearby, where the reception will be held. As the groomsmen begin shepherding witches and wizards over to the reception area, Narcissa searches for the Photographer she has hired for today. She finds him near the stage at the opposite end of the aisle and she signals for Draco, Lucius and me to come back up there so that we can start taking pictures.

As the audience seats slowly empty, the photographer takes several photos of just Draco and me. He then gets a picture of us with the Ministry Official, as well as several of us holding Skylar. Narcissa, Lucius, and Mrs. McGreggor join in the next round of pictures, and the photographer also takes several pictures of me with all the bridesmaids and Mrs. McGreggor. When all of the guests have been seated inside the tent, the photographer gets several shots of Draco with the groomsmen, and then multiple shots of Draco and me with the entire wedding party.

Once that round of photos has finished, he hurries off to find a good position to take photos of the reception, and Draco and me, along with Lucius, Narcissa, and the entire wedding party, make our way towards the tent set up a short way away, across the enormous back yard of Malfoy Manor. The wedding party enters first, followed by Lucius and Narcissa, and Draco and I enter last, with Skylar in my arms. We enter the tent on the opposite side of where our seats are, so that we can greet and thank each of our guests as we make our way to the head table.

As there are quite a few guests sitting inside the tent, it takes us quite a while to speak to each one of them; there are several large, round tables, and each table seats ten people. We start with the table closest to us on our left and slowly make our way down each row of tables, shaking everyone's hands and thanking them all for coming. I'm not familiar with some of the guests that Narcissa and Lucius invited, so Draco introduces me to them, and they all tell me how pleased they are to finally meet myself and Skylar. When I speak to the ladies, they tell me that I look absolutely beautiful and compliment me on my dress, and each time I blush and smile, thanking them for their kind words. When Draco speaks to the men, they each tell him he's got a lovely young bride and that he's a lucky man, which also makes my cheeks turn red.

By the time we've reached the fifth table, my arms have grown tired from holding Skylar, so Draco takes him from me, deciding to take his turn at holding the infant. And it's a good thing he's taken the child from me, too, because seated at the seventh table are all my friends, huddled together and looking like they feel slightly out-of-place. I quickly glance around the table, looking at all of them before deciding where I should start. I see Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Fred, George, Ron, Neville and Riley, and Draco's cousin Nymphadora, who is seated next to a tall, older-looking man that I assume to be her boyfriend or husband. My heart fills with joy that each of these people have come, but that joy is _nothing _compared to the shock I feel when I notice the tenth and last person sitting at the table: _Harry. _

I gasp when I notice him sitting there, and he looks up into my eyes with a huge smile on his face. Without even thinking, I rush around the table to where he's sitting and pull him into a hug. He seems a bit taken aback at first, but he eventually wraps an arm around me softly. "Thank you _so much _for coming!" I say quietly, with my arms still wrapped around his neck. I then release him from the hug and look down at him as he responds.

"You're my friend, and it's the happiest day of your life," he says softly. "I wouldn't miss it for the world." The smile on my face spreads even wider at this, and then Harry adds to it by saying, "Congratulations," cheerfully. As soon as he does so, everyone else seated at the table echoes him, reminding me that I've still got nine other guests to greet at this table.

I snap out of the trance I'd been in since seeing Harry and immediately start rushing around to the rest of my friends, hugging each of them and thanking them for coming. I spend a little extra time hugging and thanking Mrs. Weasley, and the same happens when I reach Riley. After I've hugged her and insisted that we need to visit each other as often as we can, I look over and see Neville's smiling face. I want to congratulate him on finding a girlfriend, but I feel that might be too embarrassing. So instead, I decide to playfully scold him for keeping Riley a secret from me for so long. "So exactly _how _long have you known that your girlfriend was practically my sister?" I ask, placing my hands on my hips playfully.

Neville answers simply, "A while," and the rest of the people at the table, myself and Riley included, laugh heartily at this. Realizing that I can't spend all day with my friends, even though I'd like to, I move on to hug Fred and George. They, in true Fred and George fashion, laugh and joke the entire time I'm talking to them, and when I move on to hug Nymphadora, she introduces me to her husband, Remus Lupin. I've never met this man before, but apparently he used to be a Professor at Hogwarts, and he says a quick and polite "Hello" to Draco.

Once I've finished speaking to and hugging everyone at the table, I realize that we've got to move on, but I urge them all to hang around after the reception so that I can spend some more time with them. Just before we move to the eighth table, Draco says a quick "Thank you for coming," to everyone at the table. It isn't the most in-depth of greetings and I wish he'd speak to them a little more, but I realize he isn't exactly friends with any of these people, and I'm thankful that he at least spoke to them at all. As we make our way to the next table, Draco questions me about Riley; as he wasn't in our room when she arrived this morning, he doesn't know who she is. I quickly explain to him that she lived at the Orphanage with me, but I realize that a full explanation will have to wait until later, because we've still got quite a few guests to greet.

After we've spoken to every person at every table, Draco and I finally make our way to the head table, grateful that we finally get a chance to sit down. We take our seats in between Mrs. McGreggor and Draco's parents, and as soon as we're seated, an amazing assortment of various delicious-looking foods appears on the table before us. All the talking inside the tent ceases as soon as the food appears, and is replaced with amazed gasps from our guests. Narcissa takes Skylar from Draco so that he and I can eat our meal first, which we do happily. I talk to Mrs. McGreggor, Hermione, Ginny, and Marie as I eat, and when I've finished I gaze around the tent at all the lovely decorating Narcissa has done; she's really outdone herself this time.

Purple and mint green streamers hang from the tent's roof, and tiny glass jars filled with purple and green flowers adorn each table. I point the decorations out to Draco, and I call the photographer over to make sure he's taking photos of the decorations as well; I want him to document _every single detail _about this amazing day.

When nearly everyone in the tent has finished their meal, Narcissa summons Draco and I over to a small table set up on the side which holds our beautiful five-tier wedding cake. The photographer takes several snapshots while Draco and I make the first slice into the cake together, and once we've done so, Narcissa charms the knife, plates and forks, so that they will cut and serve each guest on their own. Draco and I then take a slice of cake and return to our seats hand in hand, smiling at each other the whole time.

It takes quite a while for the seemingly never-ending line of guests to get their cake, and then a while longer for them to eat it, especially considering that Crabbe and Goyle, among a few others, keep going back for second or third helpings. Draco and I don't mind this, however, we simply sit at the head table, taking turns holding Skylar and talking about how amazing this day has been so far. When the guests (and the wedding party) have had their fill of the delicious cake, Narcissa gets to her feet and clings her fork against her glass loudly, trying to get everyone's attention.

Once the chatter inside the tent dies down, she announces that it's now time for mine and Draco's first dance, which earns delighted smiles and "Awww"s from the women in the tent. Narcissa directs Draco and me to step back outside the tent and walk back over to the ceremony area, which has been transformed while we were eating. The rows of chairs have been pushed closer towards the Manor and rearranged into circular patterns around circular tables, much like they had been inside the tent. A large, wooden dance floor has been placed between the tables and the stage, and above it, tiny purple lights hang magically suspended in midair. Up on the stage that Draco and I were wed on just a short while ago, there's a rather large group of musicians, each with his own instrument. I don't recognize any of them, but I remember that Narcissa hired a group that could play all sorts of wizard music, both classic and contemporary.

As Draco and I make our way to the center of the wooden dance floor, our guests flood out of the reception tent and come to stand or sit at one of the many tables outside, eager to watch Draco and I in our first dance as a married couple. As the band gets prepared, the photographer rushes over to stand near Draco and I in preparation for the next photo opportunity, and the last of the guests makes their way out of the tent. When the crowd finally seems to have stopped moving, the band starts playing a slow song, and Draco places one hand on my waist while taking my right hand in the other. Staring into my eyes, he leads me around the dance floor as the music plays, and when the song is less than halfway done, I remove my right hand from his and instead, wrap both of my arms around his neck and pull him close to me, while continuing to sway with the song. Draco seems slightly startled at first, but then he wraps both of his arms around my waist in response as I lay my head on his shoulder. As we continue to dance, I can't help but think about everything that has happened over the past year. I close my eyes and a single, silent tear rolls down my cheek as I think that, although several horrible things have happened, everything has worked out for the best, and I couldn't be happier.

Just as I think this, though, I hear several gasps from our guests, and the band stops playing abruptly. Draco stops dancing, as well, and I quickly open my eyes and lift my head, looking up into his eyes and wondering what's going on. When I look up at Draco, however, I find that his eyes aren't fixed on me. Instead, they're staring straight behind me, at the area where all of our guests are sitting or standing. "Draco, what's wrong?" I ask, but he doesn't answer and his body seems to have gone rigid.

Beginning to worry, I slowly release my arms from around his neck and turn to face the direction he's staring in, but I quickly wish I hadn't. The scene before me is a disturbing one: All of the wedding guests seem to have moved aside, either to the left or the right, and several menacing-looking people, mostly men, stand in the void between them. A short, toad-looking woman dressed in all pink stands at the front of the group, and there's something odd and terrifying about the look on her face. Her eyes seem vacant, almost empty, and it only takes me a moment to put two and two together and realize that she's under the Imperius Curse. She considers me for a moment, but then looks to my left at Draco and speaks. "Mr. Malfoy," she says matter-of-factly, "I'm afraid I'm going to have to take your wife and son with me to the Ministry for a hearing."

I quickly turn from a state of confusion to a state of panic, and I look up at Draco in confusion and worry. "Umbridge, you weren't invited to my wedding," he answers her. "And I have _no idea_ how you got onto the Manor grounds, but I demand that you leave immediately." He pauses for a moment, and then continues in an almost-growl. "You're not taking my wife and son _anywhere_."

"I'm afraid I am, whether you like it or not," the woman called Umbridge replies. "They have broken the law and must be taken to the Ministry to be punished."

I feel even more confused at this, but I don't have time to wonder what law I'm supposed to have broken because Lucius interjects on mine and Skylar's behalf. "Broken _what _law?" he asks, sounding just as angry as Draco. He's standing almost halfway between this Umbridge woman and me, and I notice that his wand arm is dangerously close to the pocket of his robes: he's preparing for a fight.

"Miss Newsome… well, now _Mrs. Malfoy_, and her son, are both unregistered Nimbimagi," the toad-looking woman replies.

At this, several of the guests on the right side move around slightly, and Cornelius Fudge, who just so happens to be one of our guests, steps through them. "Dolores, what is this rubbish?" the Minister for Magic asks angrily. "There _is no_ Nimbimagus Registration Law!"

As soon as he says this, several people gasp, and one of the menacing men behind Umbridge steps forward. His wand is aimed at the short woman in pink; it's clear that he's the one who's had her under the Imperius Curse this whole time. "Ah, Minister," he says in a threatening tone, "I didn't realize that you would be at the Newsome-Malfoy wedding." He pauses for a moment, and then continues, looking directly at me. "I was just trying to avoid a fight at such a tender moment, but it's no matter. I've no use for this puppet anymore." With that, he flicks his wand and sends the toad-faced woman sprawling through the air, landing on the ground with a sickening _Thud _a short distance away.

At this, there are gasps from myself, as well as many of the other spectators, and I feel Draco take a firm hold on my left arm. Completely mortified, I stare at this crazed man for a moment, wondering who he could be. It only takes a moment for my brain to register the torn clothes, sharp, fang-like teeth, and general rough demeanor of this man. And from there, it only takes me a moment to make the connection between him and someone else I've encountered in the past year: the werewolf who tried to take Skylar. With a pang of terror in my heart, I realize that this man, this fiend before me who just interrupted my wedding and my first dance with Draco, is Fenrir Greyback.

* * *

><p><strong>Second Author's Note: I know, it's a clyffie! I'm sorry! I'm working on the next chapter now; hopefully you won't have to wait too long to find out what happens!<strong>


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